Third International Meeting on Gender Equity
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Location: Green Room, FAO Headquarters
Date: 11 March 2024
Time: 08:15 – 15:55 CET
Welcome and Registration
8:15 – 9:00 Registration of participants and welcome coffee
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome by FAO - Ms. Tacko Ndiaye, Gender Team Leader, Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, FAO
Opening Remarks
9:15 – 9:30 Opening Remarks by the WBF Secretariat and Task Force on Gender Equity Coordinators - Ms. Camila Reinhardt Hurtado, Ms. Silvia Campos, and Ms. Stella Davis
Keynote Presentations
9:30 – 9:45 Collaborating towards the compliance of Human Rights Due Diligence requirements on gender equity
Moderator: Mr. Pascal Liu, Team Leader, Responsible Global Value Chains, FAO
- Ms. Cliodhnagh Conlon, Director of Consumer Sectors, Sustainable Business Network and Consultancy (BSR)
- Ms. Carolina Jaramillo Ferrer, Sustainability Director, UNIBAN
Session 1: Setting the Scene on Women in the Banana Industry
9:45 – 10:30 Introduction and panel discussion
Moderator: Mr. Pascal Liu
- Mr. Erdgin Mane, Policy Officer, Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, FAO
- Ms. Iris Munguia, Member, Coordinating Body of Latin American Banana and Agro-Industrial Unions (COLSIBA)
- Ms. Claudelle Koudaio, President, Banana Workers’ Union Federation of Cote D’Ivoire (FETBACI)
- Ms. Camila Reinhardt Hurtado, Decent Work and Sustainable Global Value Chains Specialist, WBF Secretariat, FAO
10:30 – 10:45 Open discussion with all participants
Session 2: Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Work Environment
10:45 – 11:15 Panel Discussion on violence and harassment in the workplace
Moderator: Ms. Tacko Ndiaye
- Ms. Adwoa Sakyi, Regional Women’s Coordinator, IUF Africa
- Mr. George Kporye, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Advisor, Golden Exotics Ltd.
- Ms. Joky Francois, Global Gender Lead, Rainforest Alliance
- Ms. Valentina Beghini, Legal Specialist on Violence, Harassment, and Non-Discrimination, International Labour Organization (ILO)
11:15 – 12:00 Open Discussion with all participants
12:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
Session 3: Strengthening Women's Voices and Participation
14:00 - 14:30 Discussion Panel on women’s participation in banana production and leadership roles
Moderator: Ms. Tacko Ndiaye
- Ms. Iris Munguia, COLSIBA
- Ms. Esinam Poku, Head of Gender and Youth, Industrial Commercial Workers Union Ghana (ICU-Ghana)
- Ms. Kahlil Apuzen-ito, Sustainability and Resilience Lead, Foundation for Agrarian Reform Cooperatives in Mindanao (FARMCOOP)
- Ms. Stella Davis, Sustainability Manager, Fyffes
- Ms. Silvia Campos, Senior Advisor, Bananas Fairtrade International
- Mr. Edgar Monge, Responsible Sourcing Manager, Tesco (Americas)
14:30 – 15:15 Open Discussion with all participants
15:15 – 15:45 Proposals and recommendations to feed into the GE-TF action plan on gender equity in the banana industry to be achieved by 2030
15:45 – 15:55 Conclusions and final remarks
Event on TR4 and the Future of the Banana Industry, Monday 11 March 2024
Location: Red Room, FAO Headquarters
Date: 11 March 2024
Time: 13:00 – 17:00 CET
Opening Remarks
13:00 – 13:05
Speakers:- Mr Victor Prada, Secretary, WBF Secretariat, FAO
- Mr Osama El-Lissy, Secretary, International Plant Protection Convention, FAO
Session 1: The role of FAO in TR4 prevention and response
13:05 – 13:45
Moderator: Ms. Sarah Brunel, Implementation and Facilitation Unit Lead, IPPC Secretariat, FAO
- Ms. Sarah Brunel, Implementation and Facilitation Unit Lead, IPPC Secretariat, FAO
- Ms. Raixa Llauger, Agricultural Officer, Subregional Office for Mesoamerica, FAO
- Ms. Pooja Mathur, Head of the FAO-IAEA Plant Breeding & Genetics Laboratory, IAEA
- Mr. Maged Elkahky, Assistant Team Lead - Locusts and Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases, FAO
13:45 – 14:00 Open discussions with all participants
Session 2: Status of recent TR4 outbreaks and current actions
14:00 – 14:25
Moderator: Mr. Maged Elkahky
- H.E. Danilo Palacios, Minister of Agriculture, Ecuador
- Mr. Diego Fernando Caicedo, Director General, General Secretariat of the Andean Community (pre-recorded video)
- Mr. José Francisco Zuñiga, Executive President, Association of Banana Growers of Magdalena and La Guajira, Colombia
- Mr. Hamza Abdou Azali, Director General, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment, Union of Comoros
14:25 – 14:40 Open discussions with all participants
Session 3: Advanced technologies for TR4 diagnosis, monitoring, and surveillance
14:40 – 15:20
Moderator: Ms. Raixa Llauger
- Ms. Nancy Villegas, Regional Coordinator of Risk Analysis, OIRSA
- Mr. Desalegn Etalo, Leader of the Banana Research Group, Wageningen University and Research
- Mr. Ralf Buss, Regional Coordinator of the ALERT4 Program, GIZ
- Mr. Miguel Dita, Senior Scientist, Bioversity International-CIAT
15:20 – 15:40 Open discussion with all participants
Session 4: Breeding Efforts for the Development of TR4 Resistant Varieties
15:40 – 16:30
Moderator: Mr. Matheus Lima, Environment and Sustainability Specialist, WBF Secretariat, FAO
- Mr. Fernando Garcia-Bastidas, Head of Banana Breeding Program, KeyGene/Yelloway
- Mr. Oshry Markovich, Head of Research and Development, Raham Meristem
- Mr. Andrew Dominy, Vice-President Product Management, Tropic Biosciences
- Mr. Thierry Lescot, Researcher and Agronomist specialized in Dessert Banana and Plantains, French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD)
- Mr. James Dale, Banana Research Program Leader, Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities at Queensland University of Technology (pre-recorded video)
16:30 – 16.50 Open discussion with all participants
Closing Remarks
Global Conference of the World Banana Forum - Tuesday 12 March 2024
Location: Green Room, FAO Headquarters
Date: 12 March 2024
Time: 08:15 – 17:00 CET
Opening Remarks
08:15 – 09:00 Registration of participants and welcome coffee
09:00 – 09:10 Inaugural speech by the Director-General of FAO
09:10 – 09:20 Welcome speech by the chairpersons of the WBF Steering Committee:
- Ms. Christelle Owona, Group Sustainability Manager, Compagnie Fruitière
- Mr. Peter Stedman, Sustainability Director, Chiquita
Session 1: Setting the Scene and Looking Ahead Towards the Future of the Banana Industry
09:20 – 10:20 Panel Discussion
Moderator: Mr. Pascal Liu, Team Leader, Responsible Global Value Chains, FAO
- H.E. Danilo Palacios, Minister of Agriculture, Ecuador
- Mr. Médi Moungui, Deputy Permanent Representative to FAO, WFP, and IFAD, Cameroon
- Mr. Lieven De La Marche, Permanent Representative to the Rome-based UN Agencies, Belgium
- Mr. Patric Belser, Economist, International Labour Organization (ILO)
- Mr. Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG for International Partnerships
- Ms. Marike de Peña, Chair, CLAC
- Mr. Xavier Roussel, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer, Dole Food Company
- Ms. Adela Torres, Coordinator, COLSIBA
10:20 – 12:00 Open discussion with all participants
12:00 – 14:00 Banana Diversity Tasting Event and Lunch Break – FAO Atrium
Session 2: The pressing challenges and opportunities related to Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability in the Banana Industry
14:00 – 14:45 Panel Discussion
Moderator: Mr. Lev Neretin, Senior Natural Resources Officer, FAO
- Mr. Felix Lutz, International Relations Officer, European Commission
- Mr. Dan Bebber, Associate Professor, University of Exeter
- Ms. Paulina Elena Manthey, CSR Manager, Kaufland
- Mr. Emerson Aguirre, President, AUGURA
- Ms. Lianne Zoeteweij, General Manager, ASOGUABO
14:45 – 15:30 Open Discussion with all participants
Session 3: Towards a more Sustainable Banana Industry. Achieving a Fairer Distribution of Value
15:30 – 16:15 Panel Discussion
Moderator: Mr. Victor Prada, Secretary, WBF Secretariat (FAO)
- Mr. Jorge Sauma, General Manager, CORBANA
- Mr. Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG for International Partnerships
- Mr. Jose Antonio Hidalgo, Executive Director, AEBE
- Mr. Felix Strauss, Team Lead Corporate Responsibility, ALDI-SOUTH Group
- Mr. Edwin Melo, President, ASOGUABO
- Mr. Cesar Guerra, Sub-coordinator, COLISBA
- Ms. Silvia Campos, Senior Advisor Bananas, Fairtrade International
- Mr. Hilario Pellegrini, President, ADOBANANO
16:15 – 17:00 Open Discussion with all participants
17:00 Close
17:00 – 20:00 Reception and Cocktail – FAO HQ
Global Conference of the World Banana Forum - Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Location: Green Room, FAO Headquarters
Date: 13 March 2024
Time: 08:15 – 17:00 CET
Welcome Coffee & Patisserie
08:15 – 09:00 Welcome coffee & patisserie
Presentation of the conclusions and recommendations
09:00 - 09:10 Presentation of the conclusions and recommendations of the International Meeting on Gender Equity in the Banana Industry
Session 4: Decent Work and International Labour Standards
09:10 – 09:50 Panel Discussion: Paving a path towards decent work and the adherence to international labour standards in the global banana industry
Overview by: Ms. Camila Reinhardt Hurtado, Decent Work and Sustainable Global Value Chains Specialist, FAO
Objective: Discussing the challenges and opportunities in enabling decent work and how supply chain collaboration can support improved conditions for workers.
Opening remarks and moderator: Mr. El’vis Beytullayev, Rural Economy Specialist, International Labour Organization (ILO)
- H.E. Ivonne Núñez, Minister of Labour, Ecuador (pre-recorded video)
- H.E. Danilo Palacios, Minister of Agriculture, Ecuador
- Ms. Svetlana Boincean, International Officer - Agriculture and Plantations, IUF
- Ms. Christelle Owona, Group Sustainability Manager, Compagnie Fruitière
- Mr. Wilbert Flinterman, Senior Advisor on Workers’ Rights and Trade Union Relations, Fairtrade International
- Ms. Jennie Coleman, President, Equifruit
- Ms. Meike Dalchow, Corporate Responsibility Specialist, Kaufland
09:50 – 10:45 Open discussion with all participants - Priorities and Key Opportunities
Session 5: Smallholder Farmers in the Global Banana Industry
10:45 – 12:00 Regional Commission / National Commission Smallholder farmers in the global banana industry – WBF SMH Commission
Moderator: Mr. Victor Prada, Secretary, WBF Secretariat, FAO
- Mr. Felix Lutz, International Relations Officer, AGRI desk officer for various regions, European Commission
- Mr. Hilario Pellegrini, President, Producer Association from Dominican Republic (ADOBANANO)
- Mr. Jose Francisco Zuñiga, Executive President, Producer Association from Magdalena y la Guajira (ASBAMA)
- Mr. Cesar Guerra, Sub-coordinator, COLISBA
- Ms. Kahlil Apuzen-ito, Sustainability and Resilience Lead, FARMCOOP
- Ms. Dianelly Reyes, Manager, COOPAG
- Mr. Jean-Francois Billot, Secretary-General, AFRUIBANA
12:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
Session 6: Fusarium Wilt TR4 - Strategies and Solutions
14:00 – 15:00 Fusarium Wilt TR4: Strategies for the Present and Solutions for the Future
Moderator: Ms. Raixa Llauger, Agricultural Officer, Subregional Office for Mesoamerica, FAO
- Ms. Nancy Villegas, Regional director of Plant Health, OIRSA
- Mr. Desaleng Etalo, Professor, Wageningen University and Research
- Mr. Ralf Buss, Regional Coordinator of AleR4Ta, GIZ
- Mr. Miguel Dita, Senior Scientist, Alliance Bioversity International – CIAT
Session 7: Certification and Audit Costs Debate
15:00 – 16:00 Debate on certification and audit costs – WBF Commission on Certification. Is an international multi-stakeholder agreement possible to reduce certification and audit costs?
Moderator: Mr. Victor Prada, Secretary, WBF Secretariat, FAO
- Mr. Jose Antonio Hidalgo, Executive Director, AEBE
- Mr. Emerson Aguirre, President, AUGURA
- Ms. Silvia Campos, Senior Advisor Bananas, Fairtrade International
- Ms. Christiane Hornikel, Lead Emerging Sectors, Rainforest Alliance
- Mr. Johannes Weh, Key Account Manager / Stakeholder Relations, GlobalG.A.P.
- Mr. Edgar Monge, Responsible Sourcing Manager, Tesco (Americas)
- Mr. Peter Stedman, Sustainability Director, Chiquita
Session 8: Governance of the WBF
16:00 – 16:55 Governance of the WBF
Moderator: Mr. Pascal Liu, Team Leader, Responsible Global Value Chains, FAO
WBF priorities, organization, future
Election of a new Steering Committee
16:55 – 17:00 Closing address by the WBF Secretariat
Global Conference on Living Wages and Living Income in the Banana Industry - Thursday, 14 March 2024
Location: Green Room, FAO Headquarters, Rome
Date: 14 March 2024
Time: 08:15 – 17:00 CET
Welcome and Opening Remarks
08:15 – 09:00 Welcome coffee and patisseries
09:00 – 09:05 Opening Remarks by Mr. Pascal Liu, Team Leader, Responsible Global Value Chains, FAO
Session 1: Supporting a Joint Agenda on Living Wages/Incomes
09:05 – 09:50 Panel Discussion: The role of FAO, intergovernmental organizations and governments in supporting a joint agenda on living wages/incomes
Keynote speech: Mr. El’vis Beytullayev, Rural Economy Specialist, ILO
Moderator: Mr. Pascal Liu
- H.E. Alexander Astorga, Vice-minister of Labour and Social Security, Costa Rica
- Mr. Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG for International Partnerships
- Ms. Valeria Villacorta Cussianovich, Sustainability Reporting Technical Manager, EFRAG
- Mr. Médi Moungui, Deputy Permanent Representative to FAO, WFP, and IFAD, Cameroon
09:50 – 10:30 Open discussion with all participants - Priorities and key opportunities
Session 2: Multistakeholder Commission on Living Wages/Incomes
10:30 – 11:20 Panel Discussion: Lessons learned under the WBF Multistakeholder Commission and its Subgroups on Markets and Methodologies/Tools
Moderator: Mr. Victor Prada, Secretary, WBF Secretariat, FAO
- Mr. Wilbert Flinterman, Senior Advisor, Worker’s Rights and Trade Union Relations, Fairtrade International
- Mr. Xavier Roussel, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer, Dole Food Company
- Ms. Marike de Peña, Chair, CLAC
- Mr. Oscar Ngome, Coordinator, Trade Union Platform of Cameroon (IUF affiliate)
- Ms. Martha Anker, Researcher and Co-founder, Anker Research Institute
- Ms. Anaïs Falk, Methodology Specialist, CIRAD
- Ms. Nina Kuppetz, Project Manager, GIZ
- Ms. Sonia Cordera, Director Sector Initiatives, Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH)
11:20 – 12:00 Open discussion with all participants - Priorities and key opportunities
12:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
Session 3: Practical and Attainable Solutions for Living Wages
14:00 – 14:40 Panel Discussion: Practical and Attainable Solutions – Looking to the Future
Moderator: Mr. Victor Prada
- Mr. Felix Strauss, Team Lead Corporate Responsibility, ALDI-SOUTH Group
- Ms. Meike Dalchow, Corporate Responsibility Specialist, Kaufland
- Mr. Edgar Monge, Responsible Sourcing Manager, Tesco (Americas)
- Mr. Nahuel Tunon, Human Rights Manager, Sainsbury’s
- Mr. Jose Antonio Hidalgo, Executive Director, AEBE
- Mr. Mariano Jiménez Zeledón, Legal and Corporate Affairs Manager, CORBANA
- Mr. Emerson Aguirre, President, AUGURA
- Mr. Jean-Francois Billot, Secretary-General, AFRUIBANA
14:40 – 15:30 Open discussion with all participants - Priorities and key opportunities
Session 4: Multi-Stakeholder Strategy on Living Wages and Income
15:30 – 16:45 Plenary discussion: the WBF’s Multi-Stakeholder Strategy on Living Wages and Income
Moderator: Mr. Victor Prada
16:45 – 16:55 Concluding remarks
16:55 – 17:00 Event closure