Leading coffee roasters and traders days ago signed an historic declaration on the economic sustainability of the world coffee sector, following the first edition of the CEO and Global Leaders Forum organized by the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in response to Resolution 465 on Coffee Price Levels adopted by the International Coffee Council in September 2018.
Sitting as a special session of the ICO’s Private Sector Consultative Board, the Forum marked the sixth consultative event in the structured sector-wide dialogue led by the ICO – the main intergovernmental organization for coffee – to address the coffee price crisis and long-term sustainability of the coffee sector.
That was the first time that major private sector actors across the coffee value chain have come together to agree to jointly implement solutions in a spirit of shared responsibility, thereby contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations.
To date the following private sector representatives have signed a Declaration of Intent to commit to concrete shared and individual time-bound actions, illycaffè, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), Lavazza, Mercon, Nestlé, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, Olam, Starbucks, Sucafina, Tchibo and Volcafe. The Declaration is also supported by the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Producers (CLAC), Fairtrade International, Global Coffee Platform, Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung, IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiative, National Coffee Association of USA, Oikocredit, Rainforest Alliance, Rusteacoffee, Specialty Coffee Association and the Sustainable Coffee Challenge.
Referred to as the London Declaration, all signatories and supporting organisations commit to taking action focusing on four themes: promoting competitive and sustainable production; fostering responsible and equitable growth; promoting responsible consumption; and promoting public-private dialogue regarding policy development. Also set out is a further commitment to take immediate action before the next meeting of the CEO and Global Leaders Forum towards implementing the actions set forth in the Declaration, to establish market and supply chain information systems, to actively participate in national dialogues and to promote the allocation of resources.
In addition to calling on all coffee sector stakeholders, development partners and governments of all countries to take individual actions, the signatories specifically request the International Coffee Council to endorse this Declaration and to instruct the ICO to continue its efforts to mobilize stronger political support and resources from multilateral mechanisms, international organizations and the private sector to address the short- and long-term sustainability of the coffee sector. The London Declaration will now be considered at the 125th Session of the International Coffee Council meeting later this week.
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