Yesterday on 7 December 2021, H.E. Mr Iván Duque, President of the Republic of Colombia, signed into law the bill for Colombia's accession to the ICCO during an event attended by both representatives of the Colombian cocoa sector and a delegation from the ICCO, headed by its Executive Director, Mr Michel Arrion.

Colombia’s accession will expand the ICCO’s membership to 52 countries, with 23 exporting Member countries and 29 importing Member countries. Colombia will be the ninth Member country in the Latin America and Caribbean region, joining Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

Welcoming the news, the ICCO Executive Director Mr Michel Arrion said “We are pleased to welcome Colombia as the 52nd Member of the ICCO. Colombia's membership is tangible proof of our shared commitment to achieve a more sustainable world cocoa economy through enhanced cooperation between exporting and importing countries".

During its stay in Colombia, the ICCO delegation also had the opportunity to liaise with relevant Colombian associations, such as Fedecacao, which played a key role in the completion of this process, and with private sector representatives, and visited one of the main cocoa producing regions in the country.

About ICCO

The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) is an inter-governmental organization established in 1973 under the auspices of the United Nations and operating within the framework of successive International Cocoa Agreements. The ICCO is headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The Organization comprises 52 Member countries, of which 23 are cocoa exporting countries and 29 are cocoa importing countries. These Member countries together represent 92% of world cocoa exports and 80% of world cocoa imports (https://www.icco.org/who-we-are/membership/)

The ICCO seeks to promote and support the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of the cocoa value chain, and in particular to improve the living conditions of cocoa farmers. The Organization acts as a center for knowledge and innovation in the world cocoa economy; as a platform for institutional cooperation to foster dialogue among its Member countries and between key stakeholders in the cocoa value chain; and as a source of technical assistance for its Member countries.