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Brussels, 16 December 2020

COCOA TALKS

EU VIRTUAL MULTI-STAKEHOLDER ROUNDTABLES ON SUSTAINABLE COCOA

Summary of feedback on the launch of Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on Sustainable Cocoa

And proposed schedule of thematic roundtable meetings

1. Introduction

On the 22nd of September 2020, the European Commission launched with EU stakeholders an inclusive

dialogue on sustainable cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The dialogue brings together key

EU stakeholders, including representatives of Member States, the European Parliament, industry and

civil society organisations. The Ambassadors of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to the EU

took part in the launch event with a supporting message from authorities of the respective countries.

The objective of the multi-stakeholder dialogue is to foster progress in the elimination of child labour

and child trafficking in cocoa supply chains, enhancing the protection and restorations of forests in

cocoa-producing regions, and ensuring a living income for cocoa farmers. One-hundred and forty-six

(146) participants attended the launch event from the EU, and the two cocoa-producing countries, Côte

d’Ivoire and Ghana.

At the end of the event, the European Commission, asked participants to submit their ideas on the

following:

how to organize the dialogue proper;

proposed thematic groups and sub-groups;

suggested topics for discussion;

proposed schedule or timeline.

The dialogue will continue to be led by the European Commission, respecting basic principles of

inclusiveness, variety and balanced representation of participants, while seeking to keep thematic

groups at a manageable size. The dialogue will seek to inform and shed light on the implications of the

European Commission’s work on deforestation (led by DG Environment) and due diligence (led by DG

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Justice) on the cocoa sector and, over the longer term. The dialogue will aim to contribute to sustainable

cocoa production globally.

This report summarizes the feedback received from participants to the launch event and other

stakeholders. Based on this feedback, the report proposes a work plan and a timetable for the EU Multi-

Stakeholder Dialogue on Sustainable Cocoa.

2. Received feedback on proposed modalities of multi-stakeholder dialogue

The European Commission received feedback from twenty-five (25) organizations and one

individual. Feedback was sent in a standardized format (see Annex I) though some organizations chose

to depart from the standard format or complement it with additional material. Most responses consisted

of a list of proposed thematic groups, including the title of the thematic group and a short description

of the topics that should be considered by the group, as well as some general comments on the initiative.

Annex 1 contains a full list of respondents, organized by type of organization, and the number of

Thematic Groups proposed by each respondent.

The European Commission compiled and analysed the responses, identifying similar or recurring

themes and taking note of relevant discussion points listed under each of these themes. Understandably,

respondents organized their proposed discussion points into the three categories that make up the

sustainable development framework: economic, social and environmental.

In order to account for the interconnectedness of economic, social and environmental problems and to

drive discussions towards the development of cross-cutting solutions that can be operationalized across

the supply chain, the European Commission reorganized these inputs into the following six themes:

No. Title Subtitle

1. Living Income

Differential International/farm gate prices for cocoa and farmers’ incomes

2. Standards The role of public/private standards and certification

3. Regulations Due diligence, government regulations and other measures in

governing cocoa supply chains

4.

Traceability,

Transparency and

Accountability

Implementation mechanisms to identify, prevent and mitigate

negative human rights and environmental externalities along the

cocoa supply chain

5. Sustainable Cocoa

Production Systems

Empowering farmers and private actors to produce sustainable

cocoa through capacity-building, investment and an improved

enabling environment

6.

Coordination of

Technical Assistance and

Development Finance

Defining investment needs and coordinating delivery of technical

assistance and development finance.

Theme 1 on the Living Income Differential (LID) will focus on the operationalization of the LID and

other economic issues, taking into account the market implications of price initiatives. Theme 2 and 3

on Standards and Regulations will examine the rules and regulations that can support the elimination

of the negative social and environmental externalities of the cocoa economy, including both voluntary

measures by the private sector and government regulations. Theme 4 on Traceability, Transparency

and Accountability will reflect upon the practical mechanisms needed to monitor adherence to the rules

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and regulations discussed in Themes 2 and 3 and to enforce compliance on the ground. Theme 5 on

Sustainable Cocoa Production Systems will explore the needs of cocoa farmers – in terms of capacity-

building, investment and an improved enabling environment – to upgrade their cocoa production

systems, in line with the elements that will be discussed in previous Themes. Theme 6, entitled

Coordination of Technical Assistance and Development Finance, will identify sources of technical

assistance, official development aid and private investment that can be mobilized to meet the needs

identified in Theme 5, as well as ensuring that such assistance is delivered in a coordinated and coherent

manner. The following subsections expand upon the feedback received under each of these topics.

Theme 1: Living Income Differential

Under this topic, respondents noted the importance of adopting a common approach to a living

income for cocoa farmers. In this regard, a joint submission by the EU Member States (Germany and

the Netherlands) encouraged the dialogue to “build on the discussions and findings by the Living

Income Community of Practice and Alliance on Living Income in Cocoa (ALICO)”. UNICEF provided

its own definition: “A living income is defined as sufficient income to afford a decent standard of living

for all household members – including a nutritious diet, clean water, decent housing, education, health

care and other essential needs, plus a little extra for emergencies and savings – once farm costs are

covered”. In its feedback, Fairtrade noted: “Fairtrade has developed a holistic living income strategy

and is involved in multiple pilots in an increasing number of commodities. West African cocoa was the

lead commodity.1Fairtrade has estimated a farm gate price $2,100 per tonne in Ghana and $2,200 per

tonne in CDI with an increased productivity compared to current averages would be needed to reach a

living income.2”

In addition to the definitional issue, respondents recommended a work stream on the development of

strategies to raise farm gate prices and increase/diversify incomes for cocoa farmers. Two existing

mechanisms could inform the development of such a strategy, in particular:

(i) Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana’s joint initiative to support farmers’ revenues through the in-

troduction of the ‘Living Income Differential’ (LID), a premium of $400 on global market

prices that applies to the purchase of cocoa from these two origins, and

(ii) private interventions, including the longstanding collaboration between the private sector

and third-party certification bodies such as Fair Trade that seek to provide a price premium

for certified cocoa.

Respondents recommended that this work stream should assess these initiatives’ effectiveness and

their sustainability over the long run, in order to generate a set of lessons learnt and a catalogue of

best practices that lead to higher and more diversified incomes for cocoa farmers. Specific attention

should be paid to the traceability of payments, to ensure that a fair share of the price increases is

actually passed on to farmers, as well as the relationship between price initiatives and supply-

demand conditions in domestic and international cocoa markets. Touton referenced an ongoing study

by GIZ on the impact of the LID initiative on supply and demand conditions, while the ICCO, EU

Member States, and several Civil Society Organizations mentioned the need to consider supply

management mechanisms to prevent overproduction e.g., the introduction of additional storage

capacities or a quota system. The objective of this work stream would be to identify the levers that

empower producers to obtain better prices for their cocoa and to define the role of the EU in promoting

a higher price for sustainable cocoa.

1 https://files.fairtrade.net/publications/Living-Income-Progress-Report_en.pdf

2 https://files.fairtrade.net/2019_RevisedExplanatoryNote_FairtradeLivingIncomeReferencePriceCocoa.pdf

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In addition to these issues around price, respondents pointed towards broader structural constraints

to the achievement of a living income:

The need for income diversification, public services (education, health) and social protection

(unemployment insurance and pension schemes) to boost farmers’ resilience.

The need for risk management mechanisms (e.g. hedging instruments, crop insurance) to

protect farmers from price volatility or the increasingly unpredictable weather patterns that have

resulted from climate change.

Structural deficiencies that undermine farmers’ bargaining power and lead to inequitable

distribution of value along the supply chain, including supply chain fragmentation, informal-

ity and a general failure of farmers’ organizations to pool resources and bargain collectively.

Theme 2 and 3: Standards and Regulations

Feedback on this topic covered a vast range of existing and proposed governance mechanisms, both

government- and private sector-driven, including: (i) voluntary and mandatory standards/certification

schemes, (ii) voluntary and mandatory due diligence, (iii) government regulations in both producer and

consumer countries, and (iv) the role of trade and market incentives. There was considerable divergence

of views on these topics, although most respondents agreed that there is a need for a “smart mix” of

private and public governance mechanisms in both importing and exporting countries to achieve the

desired goal of sustainable cocoa supply chains.

The list below covers feedback on each of the possible options:

Voluntary and mandatory standards/certification schemes.

As a starting point, one private sector respondent called for a review of existing voluntary cer-

tification schemes to identify gaps and shortcomings, and to assess this type of measure as a

means of promoting sustainable cocoa production. Several limitations in the existing frame-

work have already been identified in existing studies, including the limited coverage of third-

party certification schemes and an inconsistent ‘patchwork’ of overlapping standards that can

cause confusion and a bureaucratic burden for farmers and the private sector. This work stream

should therefore consider increasing coherence and convergence of private standards, voluntary

third-party certifications and forthcoming international standards, including the African Re-

gional Standard for Sustainable cocoa or ISO 34101.3 Respondents advised against mandatory

standards and certification as a condition for export to the EU, noting some key disadvantages

associated with voluntary and mandatory standards / certification schemes, including the cost

of compliance and the challenge of enforcement.

Voluntary and mandatory due diligence

This work stream would examine the voluntary due diligence measures and outline the value

that could be added through mandatory due diligence legislation (including but not limited to

the creation of a ‘level playing field’). In particular, it will generate information on specific due

diligence measures that could be of particular relevance to the cocoa sector, to inform the design

of upcoming mandatory due diligence legislation in various jurisdictions. Lastly, the subtopic

would seek to address the gaps between current practice and prevailing international standards

and guidelines such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the ILO

3 Respondents also recalled that private standards and third-party certification schemes should be aligned with

the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains and the ILO MNE Declaration.

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Multinational Enterprises Declaration, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

and the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains and would seek to

determine whether additional sector-specific due diligence guidelines are needed.

Government regulations in both producing and consuming countries/Regional Eco-

nomic Communities (RECs)

This work stream would look into the institutional, legal and political frameworks in exporting

countries to identify areas where specific shortcomings might undermine the solutions that will

be proposed in the other work streams. It will also identify areas where such shortcomings could

act as an obstacle to the operationalization of monitoring mechanisms and traceability systems

(discussed in Theme 4). This theme would examine domestic legislation on the environment,

labour rights, land tenure and tree rights and all other relevant elements of the regulatory frame-

work pertaining to cocoa. The work stream would also search for synergies and opportunities

for collaboration between sectors (labour, agriculture, education, health, environment, infra-

structure), between the different levels of government (national, local) and between cocoa-pro-

ducing countries, at the regional level.

The role of bilateral agreements

Feedback on this subtopic centred on the kinds of market incentives that could be introduced

to incentivize a shift towards more sustainable production practices. Civil Society Organiza-

tions cited a recent NGO discussion paper on the Key Elements for an Agreement Between the

EU And Cocoa-Producing Countries, in which the EU is encouraged to use bilateral partnership

agreements with cocoa-producing countries, to aim at sustainable production (Section III, p. 9).

Feedback from CSOs also highlighted the importance of discussing potential trade ‘leakage’

towards producing countries that operate outside the proposed framework of trade agreements.

Consequently, respondents also noted that this work stream should consider the long-term op-

tion of reaching a multilateral agreement on sustainable cocoa value chains within the frame-

work of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).

Theme 4: Traceability, Transparency and Accountability

To address the social and environmental externalities generated by the cocoa economy, it is important

to understand the root causes of these problems. In this spirit, respondents called for a quick review of

the root causes of child labour and deforestation/forest degradation, as a necessary first step towards

the design of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to improve transparency, traceability and

accountability along the supply chain. Under this topic, respondents also called for an overview and

assessment of existing mechanisms, including the Child Labour Monitoring Systems (CLMS) that

have been introduced in some cocoa-producing countries, as well as other grievance and remediation

mechanisms. This will help to ensure that the recommendations issued under this Theme are in line

with actions that have already been taken in these areas.

Feedback on this topic also centred on practical solutions to improve transparency, traceability and

accountability along the supply chain. Innovative technology/digital solutions featured prominently,

with explicit mention of the following items:

electronic registration systems to identify individual farmers and cocoa farms.

online alert / early warning systems to be made available to cocoa farming communities;

satellite monitoring and data collection to detect land-use change and loss of forest cover;

mobile banking and digital payment systems.

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innovative methods to trace the product “from bean to bar” including remote sensing,

UAV, flash codes, block chain, compulsory identification systems with safeguards for data pri-

vacy and anonymity;4

Respondents further insisted on the appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities between

government and the private sector in the design, implementation, administration and supervision of

these systems. One respondent in particular advocated for national / community ownership of, as well

as access to, monitoring / traceability systems and the data they generate. The respondent noted that

certain data are public goods (e.g. satellite images tracking forest cover loss, data on human rights

violations) and that propriety systems could tie farmers’ organizations to specific supply chain actors,

thereby weakening their bargaining power. Public ownership would help to avoid duplication of efforts,

for example in the mapping of cocoa farms.

Furthermore, several respondents advocated for the involvement of women and youth from cocoa-

producing communities, civil society organizations, trade unions and farmers’ organizations in

the design, implementation, administration and supervision of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms

and traceability systems, noting that these stakeholders are best placed to report on labour rights

violations, deforestation, or other unsustainable practices, including breaches of existing rules and

regulations.

This Theme might also be the right venue to discuss some broader topics related to human rights and

sustainability, including:

(i) the need for investment in children’s rights more broadly, such as access to education, clean

water and healthcare services.

(ii) potential roles of reforestation and or PES (Payment for Ecosystem Services) within the

emerging sustainable cocoa production framework.

(iii) Potential of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchains in traceability in cocoa value chains - a

compendium of best practices.

Theme 5: Sustainable Cocoa Production Systems

In addition to the national and international framework for governance of the cocoa economy (discussed

in Themes 2 and 3) and the need for monitoring and enforcement systems to foster transparency,

traceability and accountability in cocoa supply chains (discussed in Theme 4), there is a need to prepare

cocoa farmers, and the private sector more broadly, to produce sustainable cocoa that is compliant with

these new requirements. It is also essential to include the private sector in consultations on the topics

covered in Themes 1, 2, 3 and 4 to make sure that their operational and financial constraints are taken

into consideration in the development of the new framework.

Feedback on this topic fell into three broad categories: (i) capacity-building for farmers and farmers’

cooperatives; (ii) investment to modernize cocoa production systems, including investment in

technology and innovative, environmentally friendly production techniques; (iii) an enabling

environment for sustainable cocoa production. Each of these points is covered in more detail below.

Capacity building for farmers and farmers’ cooperatives

Respondents identified a host of areas in which farmers and farmers’ cooperatives may need

capacity building. Individual farmers continue to struggle against the swollen shoot virus and

4 Though this could open a parallel work stream on data ownership and privacy, to discuss the risks and

advantages of public traceability systems.

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may need training in the proper use of pesticides or integrated pest and disease management

techniques. In addition to this, there is stillroom for productivity enhancement on individual

farms, through the renovation or rehabilitation of ageing cocoa trees or the extraction of value

from by-products such as the cocoa pod husk. Farmers that practice intensive mono cropping

may benefit from training on the benefits of switching to agroforestry systems or pursuing crop

diversification strategies. The use of climate smart agricultural techniques and technologies

(e.g. precision agriculture or drip irrigation) could, moreover, benefit those farmers that have

the wherewithal to shift towards more modern production systems. Specific attention should be

directed towards women and youth, who are often in greater need of capacity building and

nevertheless find it harder to access it.

Farmers’ organizations could be strengthened through capacity building on value added activ-

ities such as primary processing, certification or branding. They could also benefit from capac-

ity building on the governance of their cooperatives (according to basic principles of represen-

tation, participation, transparency and accountability), which would enhance their credibility as

the primary channel for collective bargaining. Furthermore, farmers’ organizations should also

be encouraged and supported to participate effectively in multi-stakeholder dialogues on the

topics covered in Themes 1, 2, 3 and 4, which may require rudimentary training and capacity-

building in the fields of economics, public policy and advocacy. The role of female cocoa farm-

ers within these organizations is particularly important, as they have been shown to raise spe-

cific indicators of organizational performance.

Lastly, both farmers and farmers’ organizations could benefit from training and capacity-build-

ing in the area of finance and risk management, ranging from basic financial literacy skills to

more sophisticated notions of the various financial and risk management instruments that could

be of use to cocoa producers (e.g. loans, hedging instruments, crop insurance).

Investment to modernize cocoa production systems, including investment in technology

and innovative, environmentally friendly production techniques

In addition to training, many of the changes proposed in the previous section on capacity build-

ing also require significant investments, either monetary or in-kind (e.g. in the form of person-

hours). This is the case, for example, when a farmer decides to replant or rehabilitate cocoa

trees, to shift from mono cropping towards agroforestry systems, or to introduce new crops or

new technologies onto their farm. These investments may be beyond the means of individual

farmers or farmers’ organizations, and access to finance may not be forthcoming, especially in

the case of women and youth. This workstream will therefore work towards defining priority

investments and possible sources of finance, including private investment and development

finance streams that will be identified in Theme 6.

An enabling environment for sustainable cocoa production

The last workstream proposed within this theme concerns the enabling environment in which

farmers and other actors within the cocoa production complex operate. This workstream would

assess the economic infrastructure needs of the cocoa sector (including storage, market infra-

structure, energy, feeder roads) and prioritize investments in this area with a view towards sus-

tainable production. This discussion would be accompanied by a broader consideration of na-

tional agricultural strategies and reforms as a means of fostering sustainable development in

rural communities. Structural constraints to the participation of women and youth in the cocoa

economy should also be addressed, including access to land, loans for productive investment,

and gender norms.

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Theme 6: Coordination of Technical Assistance and Development Finance

One clear message that emerged from the launch event and from the feedback submitted by the

participants is the broad consensus around the need for coordination of efforts in the provision of

technical assistance and development finance to cocoa-producing countries. This would involve, in the

first instance a mapping of different initiatives in the field of sustainable cocoa production and a set

of recommendations to avoid overlaps and encourage synergies among partners. This workstream

would also be responsible for collecting lessons learnt and best practices, seeking to create linkages

and coordinate the efforts of the different actors operating along cocoa supply chains. Respondents

emphasized the need to use the information gathered in this workstream to define the roles of different

actors, including the governments of cocoa-producing governments, local businesses and multinational

enterprises, cocoa farmers’ organizations and other local organizations, public-private partnerships

(PPPs) / multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs), and external actors (NGOs, development agencies,

international organizations and the European Union itself).

At the EU level, special emphasis was placed on existing multi-stakeholder initiatives at the

European level – including Beyond Chocolate (Belgium Partnership for a Sustainable Belgian

Chocolate Industry), DISCO, (Dutch Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa), GISCO (German Initiative on

Sustainable Cocoa) and SWISSCO (The Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa)5 – as well as existing

mechanisms for coordinating technical assistance and development finance such as Team Europe.

The submission from EU Member States (DE + NL) further mentioned the need for coordination with

a long list of initiatives / organizations (see footnote) 6 7.

In addition to the coordination of efforts at the technical level, this workstream would also provide

guidance on development finance. It would also be responsible for: assessing the need for

development finance, including the private sector investment needs identified in Title 5 but also the

potential budget support needs of cocoa-producing countries; taking stock of available support,

including official development assistance – e.g. grants from donor agencies, concessional loans from

EU and non-EU International Financial Institutions and Development Banks – and blended finance or

5 The European Initiatives on Sustainable Cocoa presented a joint proposal based on a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) that was signed to establish a framework for cooperation on the 29th June 2020 between

the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO), the Belgian Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (Beyond

Chocolate) and the Swiss Platform on Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO). The recently launched Dutch Initiative on

Sustainable Cocoa (DISCO) has expressed their intention to join the MoU, as validated at their General Assembly

on Tuesday, September 29th 2020.

6 The Alliance on Living Income in Cocoa (ALICO); the Cocoa and Forest Initiative (CFI); the International

Cocoa Initiative; the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO); the Amsterdam Declarations Partnership (ADP);

the NGO Forest Coalition; the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA); the VOICE Network; ECA / CAOBISCO; Côte

d’Ivoire’s technical and financial partners’ thematic group on Agriculture; the Task Force Cacao in Côte d’Ivoire

; the Ivorian Conseil Café-Cacao’s (CCC) PPP-Platform; the African Cocoa Platform (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire,

Ghana, Nigeria, Togo); the Platforme De La Societe Civile Et De Organisation de Producteurs en Cacao /

Coordinating Secretariat INADES-Formation in Côte d’Ivoire ; the Ghana Civil Society Cocoa Platform /

Coordinating Secretariat SEND-Ghana and EcoCare-Ghana.

7 Respondents further noted that UNICEF, the ILO, National Governments and Cocoa Institutions, the World

Cocoa Foundation, and the International Cocoa Initiative are already in the process of developing a multi-

stakeholder initiative to address the root causes of child labour and children’s rights. This consists of (i) the

constitution of different coordination mechanisms and working groups, (ii) a budgeted needs assessment focusing

on priority interventions on child labour root causes, which are expected to drive the biggest impact, and (iii) the

preliminary definition of a framework for action including possible governance structures (iv) innovative finance

mechanisms. Respondents recommended that the EU multi-stakeholder dialogue leverage this pre-existing

platform and build on technical work that it completed in 2019 and 2020.

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private funds ‘leveraged’ through other means; as well as proposing guidelines towards the optimal

allocation of these resources.

Feedback Forms: General Remarks

In addition to the substantial proposals on the thematic focus that have been summarized above,

respondents made some remarks about the EU Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Sustainable Cocoa in

general. These remarks have been summarized below:

Multi-stakeholder dialogues in cocoa-producing countries

Several Civil Society Organization as well as the joint submission by EU Member States (DE

+ NL) emphasized the need to complement the EU Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Sustainable

Cocoa with Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues in cocoa-producing countries and, in consultation

with exporting countries’ governments, to include representatives from the cocoa-producing

countries in the EU dialogue itself. Particular emphasis was placed on the need to include civil

society organizations from in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana as well as smallholder cocoa producers,

small and medium sized businesses and retailers.

Involvement of other cocoa-producing countries

While recognizing that within the scope of this dialogue, the EU intends to focus on Ghana and

Côte d’Ivoire, one private sector respondent highlighted the importance of extending the pos-

sibility of engaging in the dialogue and in discussions with the European Union to other cocoa

producing countries, in order to ensure alignment among all importers into the EU, and com-

pliance with sustainable cocoa production practices. The respondent suggested including other

West African cocoa producing countries such as Nigeria and Cameroon, as well as extending

the geographical coverage to include Indonesia, Malaysia, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.

Gender-mainstreaming

Respondents all identified the gender mainstreaming and empowerment of women as an im-

portant cross-cutting issue that should be integrated into the discussions in all Themes.

3. Proceedings for the upcoming roundtable sessions

The schedule for the roundtable meetings on the topics identified above is enclosed below. The webinars

will be open to professionals or experts with a direct stake in the cocoa sector who are from the EU+

region. It will also gather institutional stakeholders and civil society representatives from Ghana and

form Cote d’Ivoire. During the first introductory meeting, participants will be invited to make their

comments and contribute to the schedule.

Meetings will last half a day. The agenda for each meeting will be prepared by the European

Commission and circulated ahead of the meeting to all participants. A report with the operational

conclusions will be circulated after each roundtable.

Each roundtable will feature a presentation by a keynote speaker, followed by reactions of a panel,

followed by Q&A from other participants. The participants will be informed ahead of the meeting how

to communicate their questions.

All correspondence concerning the multi-stakeholder dialogue should be directed to the Cocoa Talks

functional mailbox: TRADE-COCOATALKS@ec.europa.eu. E-mails sent to individual staff

members of the European Commission will not be replied to. The European Commission will set up a

dedicated website for the multi-stakeholder dialogue.

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4. Schedule of meetings

Meeting 1 Date: Tuesday 26 January 2021

Title: Introductory meeting

Agenda items: Present the schedule of virtual roundtables and secure agreement

from participants.

Explain the purpose of the EU roundtables and its place within

the current landscape of actors and initiatives in the field of

sustainable cocoa.

Explain how the meetings will be organized (participants,

moderation, agendas etc.)

Objectives: Review the schedule of roundtables and proposed issues to be addressed,

and receive participants’ feedback

Meeting 2 Date: Tuesday 9 February 2021

Title: Living Income Differential

Agenda items: Explore the potential benefits, challenges and impacts of the LID

initiative in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire

Discuss some of the main prerequisites and challenges to

implementation of the LID in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Objectives: Challenges and opportunities linked to the introduction and

implementation of the LID in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have been

identified

Meeting 3 Date: Tuesday 23 February 2021

Title(s): Standards

Agenda items: Brief review of the challenges and opportunities of the current

framework of voluntary certification.

Discuss ways to foster greater convergence of private standards,

voluntary third-party certifications and forthcoming international

standards, (including the African Regional Standard for Sustain-

able cocoa or ISO 34101)

Agree on possible strategies for improved coherence/convergence

of standards.

Discuss the role of harmonized standards within the framework

of the incoming EU legislative proposal on deforestation setting

out sustainability criteria for commodities such as cocoa

Objectives: Discussions and preliminary conclusions on the coherence/convergence

of standards for sustainable cocoa

Meeting 3a

and 3b

Date: Tuesday 16 March and Wednesday 17 March 2021

Title: Traceability, transparency and accountability with regard to child

labour (3a) and deforestation (3b)

Agenda items: Provide an overview of existing monitoring and enforcement

mechanisms that seek to improve transparency, traceability and

accountability along the supply chain.

Present a selection of available technologies / digital solutions to

improve transparency, traceability and accountability along the

supply chain.

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Discuss the appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities

between government and the private sector in the design,

implementation, administration and supervision of these systems.

Discuss the role of women and youth from cocoa-producing

communities, civil society organizations, trade unions and

farmers’ organizations in the design, implementation,

administration and supervision of monitoring and enforcement

mechanisms / traceability systems.

Objectives: Discussions and preliminary conclusions on the role of monitoring and

enforcement mechanisms, traceability systems and innovative

technologies in the new framework for sustainable cocoa production

Meeting 4 Date: Tuesday 20 April 2021

Title: Regulations, with a focus on due diligence

Agenda items: Examine the specific ways in which the cocoa sector could be

impacted by, and adapt to, proposed EU horizontal legislation on

due diligence and on minimising the risk of deforestation

associated with products placed on the EU market.

Propose sector-specific due-diligence guidelines for the cocoa

sector

Objectives: 1. Overview is provided on the specific ways in which the cocoa sector

could be impacted by, and adapt to, proposed EU horizontal legislation

on due diligence and on minimising the risk of deforestation associated

with products placed on the EU market

2. Sector-specific due-diligence guidelines for the cocoa sector are

discussed

Meeting 5 Date: Thursday 4 May 2021

Title: Sustainable cocoa production

Agenda items: Examine how to encourage uptake of sustainable cocoa

production practices.

Catalogue the capacity-building and investment needs of cocoa

farmers and develop a set of criteria for prioritization;

Catalogue the capacity-building and investment needs of farmers’

organizations and develop a set of criteria for prioritization;

Identify the economic infrastructure needs of the cocoa sector and

develop a set of criteria for prioritization of investments in this

area, with a view towards sustainable production.

Objectives: 1. Capacity-building and investment needs of farmers and farmers’

organizations have been identified and prioritized

2. Infrastructure investment needs of cocoa-producing countries have

been identified and prioritized

Meeting 6 Date: Tuesday 25 May 2021

Title: Development assistance and finance

Agenda items: Develop recommendations/actions points to avoid overlaps and

encourage coordination in the provision of technical assistance

and development finance for sustainable cocoa production;

Identify priorities in terms of technical assistance and

development finance;

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Take stock of available support and propose guidelines towards

the optimal allocation of resources.

Objectives: 1. Ideas with regard to coordination between existing initiatives are

formulated

2. Stock-taking of available development finance and blended finance

instruments and proposed allocation of resources

Possibly: Round two of thematic meetings in June-July 2021 –to be confirmed at a later stage

Concluding

Meeting

Date: September 2021 TBC

Title: Conclusion of the EU Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Cocoa

Agenda items: Define strategies for maximizing the economic impact of the LID

for farmers income and for sustainable cocoa production

Devise strategies for enhanced policy coherence, looking at

actionable policy work plans at EU and national levels

Devise strategies for maximized use of monitoring, enforcement,

traceability systems

Objectives: 1. Discuss the operational conclusions with regard to ensuring the

effectiveness and sustainability of the Living Income Differential in

Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, as a means to raise farm gate prices and

increase / diversify incomes for cocoa farmers.

2. Provide an overview of the potential synergies between EU regulation /

trade policy and the LID

3. Present ideas on the role of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms

and traceability systems in the proposed recommendations for

sustainable cocoa production.

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ANNEX I: LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS SENDING FEEDBACK FOLLOWING THE LAUNCH EVENT

Full list of respondents, by name and type of organization, and the number of thematic groups proposed

Name and type of respondent Number of thematic groups proposed

Academia (1)

Professor Tomaso Ferrando 5

Multi-stakeholder platforms (2)

Alliance on Living Income in Cocoa (ALICO) 1

European Initiatives on Sustainable Cocoa

(Beyond Chocolate, DISCO, GISCO and SWISSCO) 5

NGOs/Civil society (12)

CARE International 5

Fair Trade 6

Fair Trade Advocacy Office 6

Fern 5

Global March 4

IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiative 2

Nitidae filières et territoires 5

WCPO / OMCC 6

Rainforest Alliance 5

Rikoloto 5

Voice Network 5

Welthungerhilfe 3

Government / public institutions (2)

Enabel - the Belgian Development Agency 2

European Development Finance Institutions 1

EU Member States (DE + NL) 6

International Organizations (6)

FAO 1

International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) 6

International Labour Organization 3

ITC 3

OECD 4

UNICEF 5

Private Sector/Private sector associations (5)

ECA-COABISCO 5

Lidl 4

Tony's Chocolonely 4

Touton 3

Wilmar Europe Trading BV 1

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ANNEX II: FEEDBACK FORM

EU MULTI-STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE FOR SUSTAINABLE COCOA

FEEDBACK FORM

Following the launch event of the EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa on 22

September 2020, interested actors are encouraged to submit proposals on the functioning of

the dialogue by sending this form by e-mail at TRADE-COCOATALKS@ec.europa.eu by

6 October 2020.

The concept note of the dialogue is available here.

Please answer the following questions:

1. Which thematic groups/sub-groups should be created?

a. ………………………………….

b. ………………………………….

c. ………………………………….

d. ………………………………….

e. ………………………………….

2. Which themes and priorities should be discussed within each of the proposed

groups/sub-groups:

a. [Group name]……………….....

i. [theme/priority]………………………

ii. ………………………

iii. ………………………

b. ……………………………….

i. ……………………….

ii. ………………………..

iii. ………………………..

15

c. ……………………………….

i. ……………………….

ii. ……………………….

iii. ……………………….

d. ……………………………….

i. ……………………….

ii. ……………………….

iii. ……………………….

e. ……………………………….

i. ……………………….

ii. ……………………….

iii. ……………………….

3. Is your organisation interested and available to take part in the discussions?

a. Yes

b. No

If so, in which group(s)/subgroup(s) your organisation could best contribute?

………………………………………………………………………….

4. Anything else you would like to bring to our attention?