Common Fund for Commodities to host High-Level Side Event on “Humanizing Value Chains” at the UN Financing for Development Forum
Seville, Spain — July 3, 2025 — As the world continues to confront deep-rooted inequalities in global trade, the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) will host a transformative side event titled "Humanizing Value Chains (HVC)" during the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). Held virtually on July 3, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:30 CET, the event will explore an innovative model that leverages digital innovation, transparency, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to promote fairer compensation for smallholder farmers.
Spotlighting the Human Cost Behind Everyday Commodities
Titled “Humanizing Value Chains: A Fairer Future Starts with You,” the event spotlights the human cost hidden in everyday commodities. Whether it’s a morning cup of coffee or a bar of chocolate, these products often originate in communities where smallholder farmers earn far below a living wage, despite soaring international prices.
“Too often, the hardworking hands that bring us coffee or chocolate remain unseen and underpaid,” said Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities. “With the HVC initiative, we are saying: no more invisibility. We now have the tools—and the responsibility—to ensure value chains reflect values. Human dignity, fair pay, and inclusion should not be optional features in our global economy—they must be foundational.”
Addressing a Deep Structural Divide
Recent data underscores the urgent need for reform. In Ethiopia, coffee farmgate prices have been less than $1 per kilogram, while global retail prices soar. In Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana—producers of over 60% of the world’s cocoa—farmers were paid just $2 per kilogram in late 2024, even as cocoa prices approached $10 per kilogram on the international market.
The Humanizing Value Chains initiative aims to close this value gap by introducing blockchain traceability, digital tipping systems, and transparent consumer engagement. Rather than charity, HVC is about justice—restructuring market systems to centre the welfare and dignity of producers.
A New Generation of Conscious Consumers
At the heart of HVC lies a belief in the power of informed choice. Younger generations are driving a shift in consumption patterns, demanding that ethical sourcing and social justice be embedded in the products they purchase. HVC provides a model where each purchase directly contributes to equitable outcomes for producers.
By enhancing transparency and enabling consumers to trace the origin and impact of their purchases, the initiative fosters a more just and sustainable global supply chain—one where dignity is measurable and impact is traceable.
A Platform for Global Dialogue and Innovation
The side event will convene a dynamic group of leaders from across policy, technology, diplomacy, and development sectors, including:
- H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director, Common Fund for Commodities
- H.E. Mirjam Blaak Sow, Ambassador of Uganda to Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the EU
- H.E. J. Eduardo Malaya, Ambassador of the Philippines to the Netherlands
- Mr. Massimiliano Fabian, Chief Executive Officer, Demus
- Mr. Derek Hardwick, Digital Solutions Manager, Fairfood
- Chief, Strategic Engagement and Policy Integration Branch, UN DESA Financing for Development Office
The session will feature a keynote address on how digital innovation can help close the income gap for smallholder farmers, followed by a panel discussion on structural challenges and innovation pathways for building more inclusive and equitable global value chains.
The event will explore the Humanizing Value Chains (HVC) model as an innovative, tech-enabled approach to promote equity in global commodity chains. It will highlight the persistent gap between farmgate prices and living incomes, showcasing tools like blockchain and digital tipping to enhance transparency and traceability. By fostering dialogue among governments, businesses, and producers, the event aims to advance ethical sourcing, fair compensation, and collective action to scale inclusive practices. Discussions will centre on the structural causes of income disparity, innovative policy and market solutions, and how collaboration can build more transparent, accountable value chains.
A Broader Vision for Inclusive Growth
The HVC discussion builds on the momentum of growing consumer consciousness and the urgent need to embed human dignity, fair pay, and resilience into global supply chains. It calls for rethinking how "growth" is defined—shifting from market efficiency alone to models that promote decent work, livelihood security, and shared prosperity.
More Than a Conversation: A Call to Action
The HVC concept marks a pivotal moment—not just for the CFC, but for the global development community. It urges all stakeholders to rethink traditional models of trade and development and take bold steps toward fairness and equity.
This is not business as usual. It is an invitation to co-create new systems that place smallholder producers at the centre of progress. The Humanizing Value Chains initiative aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those focused on poverty eradication, decent work, and reduced inequalities.
Join the Movement
This side event is more than a presentation—it is about building a movement. It challenges us to re-examine how value is created and distributed and to use innovation to address longstanding injustices in global trade.
“We are at a crossroads,” Ambassador Belal emphasized. “Technology gives us the means to act. Now we must find the collective will to ensure that smallholder farmers are no longer at the mercy of market inefficiencies, but at the centre of inclusive growth.”
Whether you are a policymaker, business leader, development partner, or conscious consumer—this is your opportunity to take part in shaping a more human-centered global economy.
Register now to be part of this critical conversation. Because a fairer future starts with you.
For media inquiries, please contact:
[CFC Media Relations Team]
[Email: managing.director@common-fund.org]
[Phone: +31 20 575 4949]