The International Coffee Organization (ICO) was established in 1963 under the aegis of the United Nations and following the approval of the first International Coffee Agreement in 1962. The ICO is the only intergovernmental organization for coffee, bringing together exporting and importing Governments. It currently represents 93% of world coffee production and 63% of world consumption.
Mission of the ICO
The mission of the Organization is to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the benefit of all actors in the Global Coffee Value Chain (G-CVC).
Scope of work of the ICO
The ICO provides a unique forum for dialogue among governments, the private sector, development partners, civil society and all coffee stakeholders to tackle the challenges facing the sector through international cooperation and to nurture opportunities. The Organization collects and compiles independent official statistics on coffee production, trade and consumption; supports the development and funding of technical cooperation projects and public-private partnerships; and promotes sustainability and coffee consumption. It facilitates the coffee sector’s contribution to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to increase the resilience of local communities and coffee farmers, in particular smallholders, and enable them to benefit from coffee production and trade, which can in turn contribute to poverty eradication by providing a living income for families.
Focus areas
The ICO operates under a Five-Year Action Plan and annual Programme of Activities which are approved by ICO Members through the decision of the International Coffee Council.
The current Five-year Action Plan aims at making a practical contribution to the development of a sustainable, inclusive and resilient global coffee sector and to the reduction of poverty in developing countries. It identifies three priority areas, namely:
- Delivering world-class data, analysis and information to the industry and policy-makers;
- Using the Organization’s convening power to provide a forum for dialogue between and within the public and private sectors;
- Facilitating the development of projects and promotion programmes through public-private partnerships.