CAOBISCO Press Release

EUROPEAN CHOCOLATE AND COCOA INDUSTRY EFFORTS TO IMPROVE LABOUR PRACTICES ON WEST AFRICAN COCOA FARMS

Added: 16 June 2008

Achievements and Future Commitments

(June 16 2008) The European chocolate and cocoa industry, as part of a global coalition, issued a statement today, reporting on efforts laid out under the “Protocol” agreement to address the worst forms of child labour and forced adult labour in the West African cocoa sector.

The statement comes as a number of efforts are improving conditions in West African cocoa farming communities, including the implementation of a system of public certification for cocoa farming labour practices.  By July 1, 2008:

·         Both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s two largest cocoa producers, will have a certification data collection process in place across an area that produces at least 50 percent of their cocoa

·         Both countries will have released reports, based on data collected from the above process, that provide a frank, detailed assessment of labour conditions (and related issues) on cocoa farms and in cocoa farming communities

·         Industry will have substantially exceeded the $15 million financial commitment it made in 2005 – funding a wide range of programs to help cocoa farming families and to support the implementation of certification

·         A robust, independent verification effort will be in place and active – with highly skilled, independent verifiers on the ground in West Africa evaluating survey findings and visiting cocoa farms.  They will then provide a publicly available analysis on the thoroughness and accuracy of the data collection effort and make recommendations to strengthen future surveys.  

Going forward, the European chocolate and cocoa industry will continue to support efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour and forced adult labour on cocoa farms, and to help cocoa farmers, their families and communities. In the next 2-3 years, this long-term commitment will include the following:   

·         Industry will work with the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to have a sector-wide independently verified certification process fully in place across each country’s cocoa-growing sector by the end of 2010 

·         Industry will work closely with and assist the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana as they target and coordinate remediation efforts, based on the results from the certification data reports

·         Companies will deepen their support for the ICI as the foundation expands to additional communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana; further strengthens government capacity at the national level, and educates key stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain on safe, responsible labour practices

“As an industry, we see this effort as a long-term commitment and an ongoing part of how we conduct business,” said David Zimmer, Secretary General of Association of CAOBISCO. “While we focus on near-term milestones, they are in fact part of a longer, sustained effort,” David Zimmer added.” Today the International Cocoa Initiative is actively engaging communities to address labour issues and help children and the certification process is delivering an honest assessment of cocoa labour issues across an ever larger area of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.”

Further details of our progress to improve labour practices on West African cocoa farms and our future commitments, are summarised in the attached statement.

ENDS

Contact: David Zimmer, CAOBISCO Secretary -General Tel +32 478 548817

Contact: Joanna Scott, Communications Consultant, +44 (0)7879 486070