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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: [email protected]. 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 [email protected] 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. ………………………..
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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?