Seeking Common Grounds

In September 2006, the International Coffee Council (ICC) established a Working Group on the Future of the Agreement and gave it the mandate of submitting recommendations to the Council by May 2007. Oxfam urges ICC Member delegations participating in the Working Group to seize this opportunity by implementing reforms along three general themes outlined in this paper.

The International Coffee Agreement (ICA) establishes the only dedicated intergovernmental forum for coffee-related matters: the International Coffee Organization (ICO). The ICO brings together various stakeholders – including coffee- importing and coffee-exporting countries, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) – to discuss, negotiate, and cooperate on shared strategies and policies regarding the global coffee economy.