At the initiative of the Cotton-4 (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali), The World Trade Organization (WTO) will host the launch of World Cotton Day on 7 October 2019. The WTO Secretariat is organizing the event in collaboration with the Secretariats of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC). This event stems from the Cotton-4’s official application for the recognition of a World Cotton Day by the United Nations General Assembly, reflecting the importance of cotton as a global commodity.
Cotton is important to least-developed, developing and developed economies worldwide.
Objectives
- Give exposure and recognition to cotton and all its stakeholders in production, transformation and trade.
- Engage donors and beneficiaries and strengthen development assistance for cotton.
- Seek new collaborations with the private sector and investors for the cotton-related industries and production in developing countries.
- Promote technological advances, as well as further research and development on cotton.
A high-level plenary session will take place with heads of state, heads of international organizations and executives from the private sector. In addition to the launch at the WTO, World Cotton Day will be celebrated in different countries across the globe, with various events giving visibility to producers, processors and businesses. Specific activities will be organized at the country level and will be livestreamed at WTO headquarters.
Date: 7 October 2019
Place: Geneva, Switzerland
Download: World Cotton Day - At a Glance
Organizer Site: http://www.wto.org/worldcottonday
Additional Information: Cotton Portal – Trade intelligence for cotton
