This Conference responds to a request by the "Cotton 4" (C-4) and other cotton producing Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for the Secretariats of the WTO, ITC and UNCTAD to support their efforts to create new partnerships and leverage resources and technical expertise enabling the implementation of cotton projects at the national, sub-regional and continental levels.
The event will focus on requests tabled by the C-4 and other cotton producing developing countries who need assistance to build a more resilient cotton sector in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The focus of the Conference will be on cotton’s contribution to mitigating climate change, reducing poverty, enhancing food security, and the creation of jobs in value addition, especially for women and youth.
Through improvements in cotton production, processing of both the fibre and by-products, and trade, the cotton value chain has an important role to play in addressing many overarching challenges faced by LDCs.
Part I: The potential of cotton to counter climate change and to create employment for youth and women: keynote addresses
Speakers will address supply chain disruptions and other factors hindering the potential of cotton to contribute to cross-cutting development priories such as women and youth empowerment, climate change, and job creation through value addition in LDCs.
Part II: Project needs and priorities
Beneficiaries, donors and partners share their priorities and their views on the means and strategies necessary to realize the potential of the cotton sector to be an engine for sustainable development, job creation, and inclusive development in LDCs in the post-pandemic context. (45 minutes)
Open discussion:
How to respond to the project needs and priorities put forward by the beneficiaries?
Call for Action:
Key elements and next steps.
Programme
Opening Remarks
- Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization
Keynote Speakers:
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization
- Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre
- Teresa Moreira, OiC, Division of International Trade and Commodities (DITC), on behalf of Ms Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General (tbc), UNCTAD
- Ali Djadda Kampard, Minister of Trade and Industry, Chad (tbc)
Moderator:
- Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization
Speakers:
- Mahmoud Ould Mohamed, Minister of Trade and Industry, Mali
- Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, Secretary-General, OACPS (tbc)
- Abdoulaye Tall, Minister of Trade, Industrial Development, Handicraft and SMEs, Burkina Faso (tbc)
Closing Remarks:
- Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization
