ICAC 71st Plenary Meeting in October (Switzerland)

The Inaugural Session of the 71st Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) since 1939 will be held eight weeks from today.

 

It will take place from October 7-12, 2012 in Switzerland.

 

Participants from Argentina, Australia, Belgium Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, India, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sudan, Switzerland, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and representatives of the African Cotton Association, the International Cotton Association, CIRAD, World Wildlife Fund, International Trade Centre, International Textile Manufacturers Federation, and the International Forum for Cotton Promotion are registered for the meeting. Final registration is expected to reach 450 participants from 45 countries and eight international organizations.

 

The 71st Plenary Meeting of the ICAC will provide an opportunity for government officials, members of the Expert Panel on Social, Environmental and Economic Performance of Cotton Production (SEEP), and representatives of the private sector to engage in a structured discussion of the concept of sustainable development and how this concept can be applied to the world cotton industry. The entire supply chain will be considered, not just the agricultural segment. Due regard for the differences between developed and developing countries and between producing and consuming countries will be considered.

 

Topics of discussion during Open Sessions include:

• Sustainability in the Cotton Value Chain: Its meaning relative to cotton; how does it apply in developed and developing countries, producing and consuming countries?

• Preparing the Cotton Industry for the Challenges of this Century

• Responsibility in the Cotton Value Chain: the Roles of Merchants, Input Manufacturers, Textile Mills and Retailers

• Intellectual Property Rights and the Role of Private Breeders

 

Six Breakout Sessions are planned:

• The Contribution of Textile Machinery to Resource Conservation and Cost Reduction in the Cotton Value Chain

• Contracts and Sustainability: Can we have sustainability without contract sanctity

• Cotton Statistics in the 21st Century

• Action Steps to a Green Cotton Economy

• Ensuring Sustainability for Natural Fibers through Demand Enhancement

• The Role of Governments in Facilitating and/or Promoting Organic Cotton, Fair Trade Cotton, CmiA and BCI

• Expert Panel on Social, Environment and Economic Performance of Cotton Production (SEEP)

 

• Private Sector Advisory Panel (PSAP)

 

• Task Force on Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton (CSITC)

 

A Technical Tour of Swiss textile activities related to sustainability initiatives will be organized on Friday, October 12.