• Skip to main content

International Olive Council

The website of the International Olive Council

International olive council logo
Linkedin icon Twitter icon
  • Health
  • Culinary
  • Sustainability
Contracts Grants Vacancies Patronage
Mail envelope Contact
Magnifier Search
Person icon Private area
Person icon
Menu icon
MENUMENU
  • About IOC
    • Welcome Message
    • Mission & Basic Text
    • Structure
    • List of IOC Members
    • Where we are
  • What we do
    • Standardisation and Research Unit
      • IOC Standards, Methods and Guides
      • Mario Solinas Quality Awards
      • IOC Recognition Lists
    • Olive growing, Olive oil technology & environment Unit
    • Financial Management Unit
    • Economic Affairs & Promotion Unit
    • Administrative Management and Human Resources Unit
    • Observatory & IT System Department
    • Health
    • Culinary
    • Sustainability
    • Statistics
  • Olive World
    • The Olive Tree
    • Table olives
    • Olive Oil
    • Olive Oil & Health
    • Home-Cured Olives
    • Olive Museums & Routes
    • World Olive Tree Day
      • World Olive Day Celebrations
    • Recipes
    • Glossary
  • Observatory
    • World Olive Observatory
    • Private Area
    • Statistics carousel
  • Resources
    • World Catalogue of Olive Varieties 
    • Free Digital Publications
    • News
    • Videos
    • Infographics
  • Standards
  • Statistics
  • Arabic
  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • Spanish
Contracts Grants Vacancies Patronage
Mail envelope Contact
Magnifier Search
We are social
  • Linkedin icon
  • Twitter icon
MENUMENU
  • About IOC
    • Welcome Message
    • Mission & Basic Text
    • Structure
    • List of IOC Members
    • Where we are
  • What we do
    • Standardisation and Research Unit
      • IOC Standards, Methods and Guides
      • Mario Solinas Quality Awards
      • IOC Recognition Lists
    • Olive growing, Olive oil technology & environment Unit
    • Financial Management Unit
    • Economic Affairs & Promotion Unit
    • Administrative Management and Human Resources Unit
    • Observatory & IT System Department
    • Health
    • Culinary
    • Sustainability
    • Statistics
  • Olive World
    • The Olive Tree
    • Table olives
    • Olive Oil
    • Olive Oil & Health
    • Home-Cured Olives
    • Olive Museums & Routes
    • World Olive Tree Day
      • World Olive Day Celebrations
    • Recipes
    • Glossary
  • Observatory
    • World Olive Observatory
    • Private Area
    • Statistics carousel
  • Resources
    • World Catalogue of Olive Varieties 
    • Free Digital Publications
    • News
    • Videos
    • Infographics
  • Standards
  • Statistics
  • Arabic
  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • Spanish
  • Health
  • Culinary
  • Sustainability
Tools icon

IOC NEWS

Home / Blog / The International Olive Council convenes its Council of Members
Enviar noticiaShare Enlace a facebook Enlace a twitter Enlace a linkedin

The International Olive Council convenes its Council of Members

MADRID, SPAIN / 27.06.2024

Representatives of the IOC’s Member States gather to welcome new members and discuss updates for the year

The International Olive Council (IOC) convened the 119th plenary session of its Council of Members on Tuesday, June 25 at the headquarters in Madrid. It brought together delegations from most of the organization’s 20 Member States, who represent around 94% of the world’s producing countries of olive oil and table olives.

The representatives and the IOC’s Executive Secretariat met to welcome the countries that have most recently acceded to the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They also welcomed the Republic of San Marino’s participation as an observer following their official request to join the IOC. Among the topics of discussion at the plenary were also the IOC’s progress in 2024, upcoming projects, as well as current challenges and opportunities for the global olive sector. Climate change, which poses a particular hurdle for the olive sector, is being addressed by the IOC through a variety of actions, including knowledge transfer activities, expert missions, the “Dialogues for the Future” initiative, inter alia, falling under the IOC’s motto “Olive oil is good for your health and for the planet”. The assembly concluded with the flag rising ceremony to honor the Republic of Azerbaijan’s adherence to the Agreement and the country’s incorporation to the IOC family.

The session counted on the online presence of the Minister for Agriculture of Jordan and on a pre-recorded video from the Spanish Minister for Agriculture. The IOC welcomed the in-person participation of the Ambassadors to Spain of Argelia, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia and Uruguay, and other key authorities, including the Chair of the Council of Members, currently held by Iran, and the Chair of the Advisory Committee, now held by Tunisia. Also present were Heads of Delegation from the European Commission, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iran and Uzbekistan, and representatives from observer members, including the United States of America (USA), Brazil, the Arab League and San Marino. Among the attendees were also the newly appointed IOC Deputy Executive Directors from Tunisia and Türkiye, who will both assume their posts on July 1.

In his video, Spain’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Luis Planas recalled that climate change is one of humanity’s most significant challenges, and that “to cope with water shortages or the appearance of possible pests and diseases, we need to focus on innovation”. He underlined the relevance of the recent agreement between the IOC, the Spanish Government and the FAO to include the international olive germplasm bank in Cordoba under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). “Multilateralism and international coordination are fundamental,” he said. “We need coordinated, precise responses. That’s why the IOC’s role is strategic.”

The Minister of Agriculture of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Khaled Musa Al Henefat, who held the IOC chairmanship for two years until December 31, 2023, participated online from Amman, stressing the importance of IOC member countries working together to address vital issues for the olive oil sector, and encouraging the organization of promotional campaigns to spread the health benefits of olive oil across the board.

Jaime Lillo, IOC Executive Director, welcomed the participation of the IOC’s member countries, emphasizing that their contribution reflected the importance and involvement of these countries with the Organization and the olive sector as a whole.

On the occasion of the 119th plenary session, a number of decisions affecting almost all of the IOC’s operational units were presented by the specialized committees and adopted by the Council, including decisions to revise the method for the organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oil, the IOC Trade Standard applying to olive oils and olive-pomace oils, and Memorandums of Understanding with a number of institutions, such as the Spanish National Research Council or the UC Davis Olive Center. Moreover, the Council said its farewell to Mustafa Sepetçi, IOC DED for administrative affairs whose term in office concludes on June 30 after eight years working for the organization’s Secretariat.

The 119th session, followed by key sector events like the Mario Solinas Quality Awards ceremony for the quality of northern hemisphere extra virgin olive oils (June 25) or the Olive Oil World Congress (June 26-28), sets the course of action for the IOC, laying down the action plan for the next semester.

 

Enviar noticiaShare Enlace a facebook Enlace a twitter Enlace a linkedin
Last Posts
Ambassadors and Diplomatic Representatives Discover the Richness of Olive Oil at IOC Tasting

The International Olive Council (IOC) hosted a virgin olive oil tasting at its Madrid headquarters for ambassadors and diplomatic representatives of both member and non-IOC member countries. The event, organised by the...

Info

121st Session of the IOC Council of Members
MADRID, SPAIN / 08.07.2025

Advancing cooperation and standards in the olive sector The 121st session of the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC) took place at the Organisation’s headquarters in Madrid on Tuesday, 8 July 2025....

Info

This week on OHIS
MADRID, SPAIN / 02.07.2025

This week on the Olive Health Information System website The newsletter of the University of Navarra and the IOC dedicated to health The evidence supporting the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) continues to...

Info

Our last
newsletter

Download our last newsletter, and check the most important news of the month and enjoy the access of stadistics related to the trade of olives.

Download

Join our
newsletter

Get our monthly newsletter directly in your inbox, every month with your subscription.


    Privacy Policy
    Main Bodies
    • Council of members
    • Chair
    • Advisory committee
    • Operational committees
    • Executive secretariat
    Key Documents
    • International agreement
    • Links
    • Guide to missions
    • Standards / Testing methods
    • Microsite
    • Photo Gallery
    • Olive Museums
    • Dictionary
    Publications and On-line Sales
    • Olivae
    • World olive encyclopedia
    • World catalogue of olive varieties
    • Following olive footprints
    • Healthy Publications
    • Newsletter
    What we do
    • Standardisation and Research Unit
    • Economic affairs & Promotion Unit
    • Financial Management Unit
    • Olive growing, Olive oil technology & environment Unit
    • Administrative Management and Human Resources Unit
    • Observatory & information systems department
    Economic Affairs and Promotion
    • Prices & balances
    • Country profiles
    • List of importers/exporters
    • Olive oil production costs study
    • Olive oil & table olive figures
    • PROMOTION CAMPAIGNS
    • GRANTS
    Olive growing, Olive oil technology & environment
    • General Page
    • Projects
    • Carbon footprint
    • Geographical indications
    • IOC NETWORK OF GERMPLASM BANKS
    Standardisation and Research
    • Laboratory recognition
    • Mario Solinas Award
    • Quality control programme
    • Nutrition
    • Standards / Testing methods
    Call for tenders
    Grants
    Vacancies
    Tools & Links
    World olive day
    International olive council logo
    OHIS logo
    We are social
    • Linkedin icon
    • Twitter icon
    © International Olive Council, 2025

    IOC Logo
    CIA logo

    Olive and the Plant-Forward Kitchen

    Inspiration from the Mediterranean Diet for Contemporary Cooking Learn more about this collaboration between The Culinary Institute of America and the International Olive Council to advance Healthy, sustainable, delicious food choices -with a special focus on technical training and menu innovation for chefs.

    IOC Logo
    CIA logo

    Olive et la cuisine avant-gardiste

    Inspiration du régime méditerranéen pour les biscuits contemporains

    Apprenez-en plus sur cette collaboration entre le Culinary Institute of America et le Conseil oléicole international pour faire progresser des choix alimentaires sains, durables et délicieux, avec un accent particulier sur la formation technique et l’innovation des menus pour les chefs.

    X