WTO Workshops to Review Progress on Cotton By-Products
Initiative
Five country-focused workshops will take place in the coming
weeks to discuss the latest progress on a joint initiative undertaken by the WTO,
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International
Trade Centre (ITC) to enhance the economic benefits of cotton by-products. Organized
by the WTO in partnership with UNCTAD and ITC, the workshops will discuss the findings
of feasibility studies carried out for each of the Cotton-4 countries (Benin, Burkina
Faso, Chad and Mali) and Mozambique.
At these
workshops, organized with the support of the Enhanced Integrated Framework, key
stakeholders including cotton farmers, government representatives and development
partners will discuss the findings of the feasibility studies and provide feedback
and recommendations to be reflected in the final versions. Each report will include
recommendations on how farmers could benefit more from cotton-by-products and elements
of a business plan to facilitate future investment decisions.
The final
reports will be published as official WTO documents and presented at the next WTO
cotton meetings scheduled for 12-13 November.
The WTO-UNCTAD-ITC
joint initiative was launched in November 2018 to analyse
the economic
potential of cotton by-products development in the least-developed
countries, in response to a request by the Cotton-4 countries. The ultimate goal
is to assist cotton-producing countries in creating new income streams for farmers
and processors. The first phase of the initiative was for each participating country
to conduct country-based feasibility assessment studies to prepare the way for potential
fund-matching at a later stage.
9:15
- 10:00
Opening
session featuring the WTO’s introduction to the initiative and speeches delivered
by Cotton-4 coordinators, UNCTAD, ITC and EIF.
10:00
- 13:00
Workshop:
Feasibility study on "Technology and know-how transfer for the development
of cotton co-products": case of Benin
15:00
- 18:00
Feasibility
study on “Technology and know-how transfer for the development of cotton co-products”:
case of Mali
10:00
- 13:00
Workshop:
Feasibility study on "Technology and know-how transfer for the development
of cotton co-products": case of Chad
15:00
- 18:00
Feasibility
study on “Technology and know-how transfer for the development of cotton co-products”:
case of Burkina Faso
Opening
session featuring the WTO’s introduction to the initiative and speeches delivered
by the Mozambique Cotton and Oilseeds Institute, UNCTAD, ITC and EIF.
Feasibility
study on “Technology and know-how transfer for the development of cotton co-products”:
case of Mozambique