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

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

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

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