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An estimated 100 million family farmers across 80 countries directly depend on the cotton industry, and women play a key role in the value chain. It supports the economies of many
and low-income and emerging countries. In 2021, world production of cotton was valued at about $50
billion, while global trade at $20
billion.
Cotton plays a significant role in social and economic development, international trade and poverty alleviation and thus contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the sector
is facing numerous challenges because of climate change, pests and diseases, the COVID-19 pandemic and the unfolding global economic slowdown among other issues. Market price volatility has also hit the sector hard.
“The objective of this global celebration is to draw attention to the hundreds of millions of people around the world who earn their livelihoods through the cotton
value chain, and to stress the sector’s contribution to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said Boubaker Ben Belhassen, Director of Markets and Trade Division at FAO.
On the occasion of
World Cotton Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
will host on 7 October 2022 a hybrid global event to highlight the importance of the sector and make sure it is at the forefront of the international policy agenda.
The event will start at 12:30 CEST - to follow the event on Zoom, pre-register
here or watch the live webcast
here.
QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General, will give the opening address. This will be followed
by a keynote speech by the
Minister for Trade and Industry of the Republic of Chad,
H.E. Ali Djadda Kampard.
Ministers from Asia, Africa and Latin America will also address the audience.
There will also be video statements by the heads of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) will
be represented senior officials.
The theme of World Cotton Day 2022 will be on how innovation and technology can drive solutions to the challenges facing the sector, foster sustainability in the cotton value chain and create new market opportunities for cotton producers, in particular smallholders.
A thematic panel will feature Innovations and markets for sustainable cotton in Africa and Latin America: Contributions from South-South Cooperation.
FAO’s Chief Economist Maximo Torero Cullen will give the closing remarks.
The event will be held in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Portuguese languages.
For further details please visit the World Cotton Day 2022
webpage.
To organize interviews with FAO experts please contact
Sreya Banerjee
sreya.banerjee@faoorg
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FOLLOW THE LIVE WEBCAST
HERE
VISIT THE
EVENT WEBPAGE
TO LEARN MORE
FOLLOW ON TWITTER
@FAO
EN: #WorldCottonDay
AR: #اليومالعالميللقطن
ES: #DíaMundialDelAlgodón
FR: #JournéeMondialeDuCoton
RU: #ВсемирныйДеньХлопка
ZH: #世界棉花日
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
FAO News and Media:
tel: (+39) 06 570 53625
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Sreya Banerjee
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