Benin Hosts The Steering Committee Meeting Of The "Cotton Partnership" Initiative

From 4 to 6 June, the Government of Benin hosted a meeting of the Steering Committee of the "Cotton Partnership" initiative in Cotonou. This is the first time that the Steering Committee has held a meeting in Africa since the WTO Director General Ivera and FIFA President Gianni Invertino launched the project at MC13. At the meeting, participants including WTO listened to the latest progress of the initiative and discussed the next steps to be taken for cotton producers to achieve concrete results.

The participants in this meeting include those from AFREXIMBANK, BCI, CMIA, FIFA, IAEA, ICAC, IFC, ILO, ITC Representatives of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), WTO and the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Benin.

In her opening statement, Ms. Shadiya Alimatou Assouman, Minister of Industry and Trade of Benin, stressed the importance of the cotton sector for the economic development of Benin and the other four cotton countries (Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali). She also affirmed the important work being carried out by WTO and FIFA through the "Cotton Partnership" initiative. In addition, she stressed the need to convert more cotton fibers into textiles, and stressed the need for more support from major partners. Minister Assouman also announced that the next World Cotton Day was scheduled to be held in Benin in October 2024, and welcomed the cooperation of "cotton partners" in preparing for this event.

In his opening speech, Mr. Stephen Fevrier, Senior Advisor to the Director General of WTO, reiterated Director General Ivera's firm support for the cotton sector in Africa, and stressed that WTO is committed to ensuring that this initiative achieves concrete results. He said that the "Cotton Partnership" initiative is one of the important achievements of the WTO-FIFA Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2022. This joint initiative helps to raise awareness of the importance of supporting the efforts of the four cotton countries and C ô te d'Ivoire to upgrade the cotton value chain and ensure that these countries gain more benefits.

Looking ahead, Mr. Fevrier called on the Steering Committee to build on the research results obtained in the first phase of the initiative and establish a clear timetable and deliverables for the coming months. He concluded: "Our next goal is to use the partnership established to achieve concrete results, so that when we return to Cotonou to participate in World Cotton Day, we can make meaningful progress."