TFM reviews strategies, China membership undecided

06 Feb '06

2 min read

The Task Force on Membership (TFM) met at the Embassy of Turkey on February 2, 2006. Delegates from 9 countries were in attendance: Brazil, Chad, China (Taiwan), India, Paraguay, Spain, Turkey, UK and the USA. The executive director also attended.

The TFM discussed strategies to retain current members who may be at risk of suspension of membership for failure to pay assessments for more than three years, and the TFM considered strategies to reactivate the membership of some countries who have withdrawn from membership.

The executive director will work with the Chair of the TFM and the Chair of the Standing Committee to implement these strategies.

There was agreement that the importance of cotton to the economies of countries, the role of the ICAC as a forum for discussion of international issues, and the value of market information and technical information provided to governments and the private sector are the fundamental reasons that countries join the Committee.

Delegates observed that information provided by the Secretariat and the roles of the Committee in facilitating cooperation are a form of public infrastructure that only governments can provide.

It was noted that no government acting alone could replicate the role of the ICAC as a representative commodity body composed of all segments of the cotton industry from countries that produce, consume and trade cotton.

There was discussion about countries that benefit from the work of the ICAC without joining, and the executive director was directed to consider the impacts of preventing the sale of publications and limiting the provision of other services to entities from non-member countries.

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