The ambassador of Spain to Côte d’Ivoire, Rafael Soriano, was elected on Friday, October 6, 2023, in Abidjan as the president of the International Cocoa Council, a supreme body of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) at the end of its 108th session. He replaces Dominican Abel Fernandez as president of the International Cocoa Council.

At a press conference that concluded this meeting, Michel Arrion, the executive director of ICCO, explained to the press that six points were on the agenda for this session. Among these points, he cited the situation of the global cocoa market, generic promotion of cocoa consumption, adoption of the budget, an annex to the international cocoa report, an extension of the validity of the international cocoa agreement until 2026, and the election of the new president.

“It is a privilege and an honor for Spain to assume the presidency of the International Cocoa Council. We will continue to strengthen ICCO’s role in the global cocoa industry,” said Rafael Soriano, the new president of the International Cocoa Council during the press conference that concluded this meeting.

“(…) The objective is that we can observe the sustainability of cocoa throughout the value chain from producer to chocolatier. Of the $100 billion generated by this sector, we producers only benefit from 5 or 6%, and this concerns us. Consumers never complain about chocolate bars, but we producers do,” said Ambassador Aly Touré, spokesperson for ICCO’s producer countries.

Continuing, Mr. Touré, who is also Côte d’Ivoire’s permanent representative to basic product organizations, said he has “great hope” for the next World Cocoa Conference scheduled for April 2024 in Brussels (Belgium).

The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 3rd in Abidjan. This anniversary was coupled with the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the global cocoa agenda.

The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) is an intergovernmental organization composed of 52 member countries, including 23 cocoa exporters and 29 cocoa importers. It works to establish a sustainable cocoa supply chain by sustainable development goals.

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