News
The ICAC’s 79th Plenary Meeting Delayed until November 2021
The sudden and shocking onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has forced organisations everywhere to radically alter their plans for 2020, and the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is no exception.
The national Organising Committee of the 79th Plenary Meeting has announced that, given the uncertainty brought about by the virus and the lack of clarity on when the situation might improve, the conference will be postponed for one year. Originally scheduled to be held in Seville, Spain, in November 2020, the Plenary Meeting will now take place from in the same city in November 2021.
Further information about plans for the 2021 ICAC Plenary Meeting will be announced as events develop. You can read the Spanish Organising Committee’s official announcement letter postponing the meeting below.
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Postponement of the 79th ICAC Plenary Meeting to 2021, due to the global impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic
The world is living an unprecedented situation that society has not faced in recent history. The COVID-19 outbreak is a serious public health emergency for citizens and societies. The World Health Organization declared the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020.
In the case of Spain, the problems resulting from the current emergency has led to the gradual adoption of exceptional measures and recommendations about public health. Spain is adopting measures similar to the those taken previously in China, Italy and many other countries where outbreaks of this disease are found.
The containment measures recommended by public health experts include social distancing, travel restrictions, quarantines, closing of companies in the tourism sector (hotels and restaurants) and the closure of business that don’t provide essential services to the public. The objective is to act quickly and minimize the serious economic consequences that result from the complete cessation of economic activity worldwide.
However, beyond these initial actions, it is likely that the worldwide situation will not return to normal until a vaccine is available to prevent seasonal outbreaks in the future. In addition, the rapid turn of events, at both the national and international level — when combined with the the limited understanding of the new virus — makes risk assessment of the coming months even more difficult.
Without a doubt, this unprecedented situation requires taking a cautious approach to the fall and winter of this year in Europe and around the world, as it is possible that there will be a new wave of contagions linked to Covid-19.
Spain's commitment to the national and international cotton sector remains as strong as ever. The 79th Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee deserves a high level of attention that would not be possible in the current environment. The Organising Committee will continue with the planning that is already underway.
The 79th Plenary Meeting, which will have the theme, ‘High-Quality Standards in Cotton Production: a Natural Fibre Facing Climate Change and Global Markets’, will now take place in November 2021. Spain will keep the city of Seville as the venue, as it is an ideal location for this event.
We sincerely hope that you share our view of the situation and join us next year for this important conference were the cotton community will get together for discussion of cotton issues of international significance.
Sincerely,
Esperanza Orellana Moraleda
General Director of Productions and Markets
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain