ICCO cancels 2022 world cocoa event amid ongoing Covid concerns, with plans for a 2024 showcase
The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has confirmed that its plans to host the 2022 edition of its World Cocoa Conference have been cancelled amid ongoing Covid pandemic uncertainties, writes Neill Barston.
As previously reported by Confectionery Production, the biennial event, which was last staged in 2018, had been due to take place last summer, but was put back by a year owing to the Covid-19 crisis, but agreeing a date for its favoured location of Bali Nusa Dua Convention Centre did not prove possible.
The event had originally launched back in 2012, hosted by Abidjan, Ivory Coast, examining the state of the global cocoa sector, reviewing current challenges and agree on measures to address these issues. It has established itself as a strong forum with over 1,500 delegates of governments, trade and industry, producers and civil society attending the last edition in Berlin, Germany in 2018.
Confectionery Production reported from the last edition of the event in Germany (pictured), which raised major problems with child labour within cocoa supply chains – which has, accordingly to most recent industry research, remained a significant issue despite the efforts of governments, civil society organisations and the chocolate industry in attempting to tackle the matter.
The ICCO has confirmed that in light of date being confirmed for this year, the World Cocoa Conference will be moved forward to the next two-year cycle, and will be staged in Brussels, Belgium, in 2024.
In the meantime, the organisation confirmed that it will be holding the second edition of its International Symposium on Cocoa Research in Montpellier, France, between 5-7 December 2022.
As the ICCO noted, the event will be focused on enhancing sustainable production methods within the industry, and its agenda is aimed at a broad audience including co-operatives, research institutes, academics, traders, processors and manufacturers. Registration is now open for the event, which had originally been slated for last year, but was also put back amid the pandemic.