Bill 642.

Summary.

Art. 1 proposes to approve in full the International Cocoa Agreement, 2026, concluded in Geneva (Ginebra). Its preamble links cooperation between exporting and importing members to producers’ incomes, sustainable development, and market transparency. The agreement sets objectives covering dialogue between governments and the private sector, preparation of projects eligible for financing, fair prices, and living incomes. It also promotes research, statistics, consumption, quality and food safety, access to financial tools, processing in countries of origin, and trade in cocoa products. It defines cocoa, fine cocoa, cocoa products, stocks, the cocoa year, membership categories, customs territory, ethical cocoa, voting procedures, and a living income.

The International Cocoa Organization (Organización Internacional del Cacao), established under the International Cocoa Agreement of 1972 (Convenio Internacional del Cacao de 1972), would continue operating to implement and oversee the new agreement. Its headquarters is in Abidjan (Abiyán), Cote d'Ivoire, unless the International Cocoa Council (Consejo Internacional del Cacao) decides otherwise. The Council includes all members and operates through the Secretariat, the Administration and Finance Committee (Comité de Administración y Finanzas), the Economic Committee (Comité Económico), the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy (Junta Consultiva sobre la Economía Cacaotera Mundial), and any other bodies it establishes. The agreement allows exporting and importing members, member groups, and participation by the European Union (Unión Europea) and other intergovernmental organizations. It gives the Organization legal personality and refers its privileges and immunities to the Headquarters Agreement or agreements approved by the Council.

The International Cocoa Council receives the powers needed to implement the agreement, adopt rules, and establish working groups, subject to limits on assuming obligations and without authority to borrow. It elects its officers for each cocoa year, holds ordinary and extraordinary meetings, and may meet virtually or in hybrid form. The agreement allocates votes between exporting and importing members using trade data, governs representation for voting, and seeks decisions by consensus. Where consensus fails, it establishes a special vote and, in specified cases, a further vote. It also sets quorum rules, cooperation with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo) and the World Trade Organization (Organización Mundial del Comercio), and admission of observers.

The Secretariat consists of an Executive Director, appointed by the Council, and staff subject to independence and confidentiality rules. The Executive Director submits a strategic plan and annual work programs; the Council publishes an annual report. The Administration and Finance Committee oversees budget preparation, revenue, and expenditure. Administrative costs are financed by members’ annual contributions in proportion to their votes, while other accounts may receive voluntary contributions. The agreement governs when contributions fall due and how they are paid, suspension of voting rights for arrears, review of membership rights after prolonged arrears, and independent audit and publication of accounts.

The Economic Committee examines statistics, trends, market access, trade barriers, projects, and the economic aspects of sustainability. The Organization collects and disseminates information on production, consumption, trade, prices, and stocks; members provide statistics and stock data, while individual commercial information is protected. The Executive Director publishes a daily cocoa indicator price calculated using quotations from London (Londres) and New York, and the Council reviews factors for converting cocoa products into bean equivalents. The agreement provides for reports on substitutes, scientific research, market forecasts, and recommendations when imbalances are anticipated.

Members encourage cocoa processing in countries of origin, stimulate consumption, and develop strategies for traceability, quality, and food safety. Quality measures are linked to the sanitary and technical agreements of the World Trade Organization. The Council promotes studies on production, distribution, risks, certification, health, and new uses. It also examines the annex concerning countries that produce and export fine cocoa. Members may submit projects; the Economic Committee reviews them, and the Council may establish approval, financing, and monitoring procedures. The Organization seeks cooperation with donors without assuming financial obligations for projects. Members pursue a sustainable cocoa economy, while the Organization coordinates dialogue and provides assistance at their request.

The public bodies concerned include the International Cocoa Council, the Economic Committee, the Administration and Finance Committee, the International Cocoa Organization, and the European Union. The content could interest or affect cocoa growers, traders, processors, and manufacturers, as well as the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, financial, and research sectors.