UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – UN Development Programme (UNDP) / Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean 
Joint Agreement to Strengthen Traceability in Latin American Coffee Value Chains
 

The coffee value chain is a key economic driver in Latin America. Millions of people in rural areas, particularly smallholder farmers and workers, depend on coffee for their livelihoods. There is also a key gender dimension to the coffee value chain, as women farmers and workers play an important role in this value chain across the region. 

However, for the benefits of this value chain to be sustainable, it must address pressing environmental and economic issues while adapting to a global market increasingly demanding transparency.

Smallholder farmers face numerous challenges that threaten the long-term sustainability of coffee production. Economically, they often struggle with price volatility, limited access to credit, and long value chains with multiple intermediaries, who also play a role in the presence of imperfect input markets. Environmentally, coffee farming in Latin America is impacted by deforestation, soil degradation, and the effects of climate change, such as unpredictable weather patterns and increased pest infestations. 

Traceability systems in coffee production can address these issues by enabling transparency across the supply chain, ensuring fair prices for farmers, and fostering sustainable practices. By tracking coffee from farm to cup, traceability fosters environmentally friendly farming methods and provides consumers with the information they need to support ethical sourcing. This, in turn, drives demand for responsibly grown coffee, promoting economic and environmental sustainability within the value chain.

For this reason, UN Trade and Development and the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the UN Development Programme are teaming up to collaborate in supporting increased economic and environmental sustainability in the coffee value chains of Latin America, through a series of proposed joint activities focused on donor-funded capacity-building technical cooperation projects and policy dialogue. 

Programme

13:30-13:50 -  Opening 

• Ms. Luz Maria de la Mora, Director, Division on International Trade and Commodities, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• Mr. Jose Cruz Osorio, Senior Advisor and Head of Democracy and Development Report for Latin America, UN Development Programme/RBLAC

13:50 – 14:20 Interventions

• Mr. Josep Gari, Head, Climate, Forests & Land, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
• Mr. Rodrigo Cárcamo-Díaz, Chief (a.i), Commodities Policy Implementation and Outreach Section, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• Mr. Gerardo Patacconi, Head of Operations, International  Coffee Organization (ICO)
• UNDP Video

Q & A Session