1st Global Coffee Platform Membership Assembly
On 5th & 6th October 2016, the 1st Membership Assembly of the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) took place in Geneva (Switzerland), where more than 140 stakeholders from all over the world gathered with the common goal to work together towards a thriving and sustainable coffee world.
Achieving sustainability calls for a firm agreement among all stakeholders around a common agenda, and both days of the MA were filled with a level of energy and commitment that signifies a new era of sustainability and that will drive our joint efforts forward. Honest discussions were brought to the front during the Power of Membership session, the first of its kind, where participants elaborated on their own roles and responsibilities, the need to collectively step up our work as a sector and confirmed the role of the GCP as the facilitator and enabler of global coordination and local action.
The National Action sessions on day one showcased the excellent progress and coordination happening in the various coffee producing regions. Representatives on behalf of the National Platforms presented their respective Country Plans 2017 proposed to GCP for support of concrete activities in Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Indonesia, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam. The strategic plans, which outline the status of the country’s National Sustainability Curricula (NSC), specific priorities, activities proposed and their alignment with and contribution towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reflect the direct feedback of national stakeholders received during the Vision2020 consultation process that took place in July and August 2016. For more information about the National Platforms and their plans for 2017, please click here for their contact details.
The GCP not only focuses heavily on supporting the activities of stakeholders at a national level, it facilitates action on a global level. The Global Action breakout sessions at the #GCPMA16 were a primary example of this. Led by existing global sustainability initiatives, stakeholders shared their progress, gave specialised input and determined actionable next steps, culminating in advancing their work in creating greater impact on farming communities.
All break-out sessions reported lively discussions around some of the most pressing topics affecting the global coffee sector – the opportunities to improve the current economic situation of producers were discussed in Economic Viability of Coffee Farmingandmoderated by Juan Esteban Ordúz, President of the Colombian Coffee Federation, Inc. and Vice Chair of GCP Board. The need to equally reach women while actively engaging youth in the coffee sector was addressed by Kimberly Easson from the Coffee Quality Institute’s Partnership for Gender Equity. While the urgency and tools to address climate-related challenges were central to the discussions led by Michael Opitz of coffee&climate in the Climate Smart Agriculture session. All of which are current global work-streams of the GCP – to find out more about each work-stream and get further involved, please contact us here. Equally important were the break-out sessions that brought the coffee community up to speed on the Baseline Common Code (BCC), the Global Progress Framework, and GCP Connect. As three fundamental pillars to the GCP’s path towards change, the successful roll-out and uptake of these elements by the coffee sector is crucial.
Day two of the #GCPMA16 provided Members of the Global Coffee Platform with the chance to enact the organizational measures necessary for the GCP to continue its work. In addition to the approval of the 2017 Budget Plan, the Membership Fee Model, and revised Statutes and By-Laws, the Membership Assembly elected a new Industry and an additional Trade Representative to the Board. Congratulations to Juan Antonio Rivas of Olam International and Daniel Martz of Jacob Douwe Egberts for the appointments.
For those that either could not attend, or who want to relive the energy that was present in Geneva, please check out the introduction video, the highlights video of day one, all the photos and full interviews. We have also uploaded all 2017 Country Plans and posters for each region.
We also want to hear from you! Please share with us your photos, thoughts and feedback from the 1st GCP Membership Assembly by sending them to espresso@globalcoffeeplatform.org. In case you are not subscribed to the GCP Espresso, click here so that you do not miss out on important announcements, news, resources and events in the future.