cocoaverification.net

August 27, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

International Cocoa Verification Board Members Present on Constructive Corporate Engagement at Children’s Rights International Conference

Cairns, Australia
The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) was recently featured at the International Conference on Child Labor and Child Exploitation as a model for Constructive Corporate Engagement addressing the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa sector. Government representatives, international experts, academia, and corporate representatives from around the world attended the conference focused on “exploring the challenges ahead in securing rights for children in the 21st century” hosted by Children’s Rights International (CRI).

ICVB members Isabelle Adam (European Cocoa Association) and John Trew (Care USA) presented on a panel moderated by Trish Hyde of the Confectionery Manufacturers of Australia. The expert panel focused on industry efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in West African cocoa-growing regions and on the development of the certification and verification processes currently underway. Specifically, the panel highlighted “steps taken by some companies and organizations operating internationally to address the worst forms of exploitation in their labor obligations and their attempts to try to set higher standards.” The panel addressed the importance of engaging the private sector in a constructive and deliberate manner; highlighting how the experiences in cocoa should serve as a springboard for examining the worst forms of child labor in other commodities, such as sugar and cotton. The impact of the cocoa sector approach crystallizes the importance of cross-sector cooperation in order to bring about positive and lasting changing for cocoa farmers and their families.
The ICVB is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization convened by the labor rights non-governmental organization, Verité, to ensure that certification efforts to evaluate the occurrence of child or forced adult labor in cocoa producing areas in
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are independently verified. Verified data will ensure that efforts to improve conditions are more strategically focused on the areas and issues that are in greatest need of remediation.


About the ICVB

The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization that was convened by Verité in December, 2007, to ensure that certification efforts to evaluate the occurrence of child or forced adult labor in cocoa producing areas in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are independently verified. Verifying the soundness of the data collection methodologies and the accuracy of survey findings helps to ensure that remediation efforts are more strategically focused on the areas and issues that are in greatest need of remediation. Reliable data informs meaningful, enduring change for cocoa producing communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. All stakeholders, from governments to civil society actors, will be able to use the results of this verification effort to strengthen their work going forward.

ICVB Vision Statement

Verification is an essential step in assessing labor conditions in cocoa-growing communities in West Africa. The ICVB holds the strong conviction that accurate data will help guide strategic planning and programming to effectively address potential areas of concern, including child and forced adult labor. Properly verified data will ensure that future remediation activities are more strategic, cost-effective, targeted and synergistic. Our true stakeholders are the cocoa farmers and children and we measure our success or failure by how well their lives improve, in part, due to our work. Accurate data matters.


For More Information Contact:

Children’s Rights International Verité-ICVB Secretariat
PO Box 162, Newton 44 Belchertown Rd.
Australia 2042 Amherst, MA 01002 USA
Bill.jackson@bigpond.com secretariat@cocoaverification.net

Contact:
Alexa Roscoe
ICVB Secretariat
44 Belchertown Rd.
Amherst, MA 01002
aroscoe@verite.org
+(413) 253- 9227
www.cocoaverification.net

April 29, 2008

International Cocoa Verification Board Selects Verifiers of Certification of Labor Conditions in West African Cocoa Production

The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) provisionally selected the two organizations which will be charged with verifying the certification of labor conditions in cocoa production in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, a critical element towards implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol. The selected organizations will conduct an independent verification of the data and methodology utilized in the surveys conducted by the Governments of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire.  After the verification, the organizations will present their findings in an uncensored report to the public and make recommendations based on findings to strengthen future remediation efforts.
In order to select the verifiers, the ICVB scored each application based on its demonstrated grasp of child-centered methodologies, understanding of the cultural conditions in both Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, and capacity to carry out both field research and data analysis, among other qualifications. The Request for Proposals is available in full at the ICVB's beta-site, www.cocoaverification.net. The shortlisted candidates were then invited to present their qualifications at the April ICVB meeting.
During the meeting, the full ICVB questioned the applicants for detailed information regarding each organization's knowledge specific to cocoa production and their data gathering methods (particularly regarding children). The selected organizations exhibited comprehensive understanding of the challenges surrounding verification and expertise in data analysis.  Each potential verifier was required to have local partners to ensure that they could efficiently and appropriately engage with cocoa-producing communities on the ground.
The Board was guided in this process by the results of Verité's March 31st NGO-Industry Consultative Meeting "Why Verify? Making Cocoa Verification Count."  The NGO, industry, and government representatives who participated in this meeting engaged in robust dialogue about how best to ensure a transparent and effective verification process. These suggestions were presented to the ICVB prior to their meeting.
The names of the selected verifiers will be released pending the final approval of their contract with the ICVB.
Other ICVB accomplishments during the meeting included the selection of the Board Chairs, Treasurer, and Secretary and Committee Chairs and Alternates, as well as creating a work plan for each committee to accomplish in the months following the meeting.

About the ICVB

The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) was convened in December, 2007. This multi-stakeholder body includes nine representatives from NGOs, academia, trade unions and industry. The nine Board members are: Anthony Fofie, Ghana Cocoa Board; Amouan Assouan Acquah, Special Counselor to  the Prime Minister (Cote d'Ivoire); Stephen Ayidiya, University of Ghana-Legon; Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, General Agricultural Workers Union (Ghana); Alice Koiho Kipre, Afrique Secours et Assistance (Cote d'Ivoire); Diane Mull, International Initiative on Exploitive Child Labor (USA); John Trew, CARE International (USA); Jeff Morgan, Mars, Inc. (USA); and Isabelle Adam, European Cocoa Association (Belgium). www.cocoaverification.net

Contact:
Alexa Roscoe
ICVB Secretariat
44 Belchertown Rd.
Amherst, MA 01002
+(413) 253- 9227
www.cocoaverification.net

International Cocoa Verification Board Announces Organizations to Carry Out Independent Verification of Cocoa Sector Certification

 The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) announces the formal selection of Fafo AIS and Khulisa Management Services as the agencies charged with carrying out the verification of certification surveys in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. These two agencies will collaborate with in-country organizations Research International (Cote d'Ivoire) and HEDGE (Ghana) to conduct an independent verification process and to make recommendations for strengthening future certification surveys and remediation activities. This verification is a crucial element of fulfilling the Harkin-Engel Protocol and informing policy decisions on the worst forms of child labor and forced adult labor in the cocoa sectors of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.
The partners, who were selected by the ICVB after a competitive application process, offer a unique multi-national team, involving experts from Europe, Africa and the United States.
Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies (Fafo AIS) is a Norwegian-based nonprofit with a longstanding reputation for expertise in data collection and analysis, particularly for populations that are often elusive, such as child laborers. Areas of experience in Africa include West and Central Africa, Child Labor and Vulnerability, and Trafficking and Migration.  Fafo AIS has worked with UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, and ILO, among others, to produce 'research that matters'.
Khulisa Management Services (Khulisa), is a South African-based firm with 14 years experience in monitoring, evaluation, research and data quality auditing in the fields of child labor, education and public health across numerous African countries.  Khulisa's clients include the US Department of Labor (USDOL), US Agency for International Development (USAID), UNICEF, the US State Department, Global Fund, the European Union and others.  Khulisa's team of ISO 9001-certified auditors will participate in the assessment activities. In-country organizations Research International (Cote d'Ivoire) and HEDGE (Ghana) will also play a key role in engaging with cocoa producing communities during the representative sample stage of the verification.
Together these organizations have the technical, local and cultural capacities to conduct a rigorous verification process, which they will accomplish in two main stages:

 First, an assessment of the certification data collection activities will be carried out in the two countries. This activity will include an assessment of the research objectives and outcomes, the examination of suitability of research techniques, conducting a data quality assessment (DQA) and an assessment of the data analysis and output quality (results).
Then a representative sample survey will be carried out in the two countries. This will include the creation of a representative sampling design, instrument (questionnaire) development, pilot testing, training, data collection and analysis and report writing.

Based on this approach, an overall synthesis and verification report will be presented, with a particular emphasis on ways to improve future certification surveys and the remediation efforts (both in the public and private sectors) that they inform. Their distinct partnership also allows for an internal peer review process of the data analysis and a final report that fully synthesizes the contributions and observations of the various agencies. 
The ICVB made contractual arrangements with the verifiers that allowed them to begin the verification activities in April, prior to the actual signing of contract in May. The Governments of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire have acted quickly in granting the verifiers the required permissions and the first phase of in-country work is already underway.
For more information regarding the ICVB, please visit www.cocoaverification.net.  This site will soon feature an interactive tool that will allow stakeholders worldwide to offer feedback directly to the ICVB.

 

 

About the ICVB

The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) was convened in December, 2007. This multi-stakeholder body includes nine representatives from NGOs, academia, trade unions and industry. The nine Board members are: Anthony Fofie, Ghana Cocoa Board; Amouan Assouan Acquah, Special Counselor to  the Prime Minister (Cote d'Ivoire); Stephen Ayidiya, University of Ghana-Legon; Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, General Agricultural Workers Union (Ghana); Alice Koiho Kipre, Afrique Secours et Assistance (Cote d'Ivoire); Diane Mull, International Initiative on Exploitive Child Labor (USA); John Trew, CARE International (USA); Jeff Morgan, Mars, Inc. (USA); and Isabelle Adam, European Cocoa Association (Belgium). www.cocoaverification.net

Contact:
Miriam Swaffer      
mswaffer@verite.org
+413-253-9227

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       February 25, 2008

International Cocoa Verification Board Issues RFP for
Verification of Certification Activities in West African Cocoa Farming

The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) announces the official publication of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Verification of Certification Activities in West Africa. The RFP is being distributed among industry, government, and civil society representatives active in the fields of cocoa and child rights for the recruitment of verifier(s) to develop an independent, third party verification process.

This verification process is an essential step in fulfilling the framework laid out by the 2001 Harkin-Engel Protocol, in which multiple stakeholders, including Members of Congress, the cocoa industry, affected African governments, non-governmental organizations, consumer groups, U.S. government agencies, and the International Labour Organization (ILO), negotiated an all-inclusive, six-point problem-solving protocol aimed at addressing abusive child labor practices in cocoa growing. By the July 1, 2005 deadline, the first five steps of the protocol had been completed and the sixth point, related to the certification process, was still in a pilot phase. On July 1, 2005, an extension of the Protocol was agreed to and a joint statement released by Senator Harkin, Representative Engel, and the cocoa industry, committed to expanding the pilot certification system to cover 50 percent of the cocoa growing areas of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana by July 1, 2008.

The International Cocoa Verification Board is a multi-stakeholder group in charge of overseeing the verification of the certification effort that is already in its pilot phase. The ICVB seeks to establish a quality, evidence-based verification process of the highest ethical standards in the field of social research. The findings from the verification process will be used to strengthen certification efforts and, in the future, will be used to strengthen remediation activities. The ICVB expects the verification activity will be guided by a rights-based approach that is also timely, transparent and sustainable.

The RFP and Proposal Budget Template, as well as reports of the surveys conducted by the governments of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana will be available at www.cocoaverification.net. These documents and all other information can also be requested by email at MSwaffer@verite.org. The deadline for applications is March 17, 2008, 11:59 Eastern Standard Time, USA.


About the ICVB

The International Cocoa Verification Board was convened by Verité in December, 2007. This multi-stakeholder body includes nine representatives from NGOs, academia, trade unions and industry. The nine Board members are: Anthony Fofie, Ghana Cocoa Board; Amouan Assouan Acquah, Special Counselor to  the Prime Minister (Cote d'Ivoire); Stephen Ayidiya, University of Ghana-Legon; Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, General Agricultural Workers Union (Ghana); Alice Koiho Kipre, Afrique Secours et Assistance (Cote d'Ivoire); Diane Mull, International Initiative on Exploitive Child Labor (USA); John Trew, CARE International (USA); Jeff Morgan, Mars, Inc. (USA); and Isabelle Adam, European Cocoa Association (Belgium). www.cocoaverification.net

About ICVB Secretariat Verité

The Secretariat of the International Cocoa Verification Board, Verité is an international not-for-profit social auditing, training, consulting and research organization. Verité mission is to ensure that people worldwide work under safe, fair and legal conditions.  Verité is recognized as a leader in the field of corporate social responsibility for its innovative approaches to solutions-driven auditing, remediation, training, and capability building. www.verite.org

CONTACT: Julie Sobkowicz    
jsobkowicz@verite.org
+413.253.9227

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      March 13, 2008

Verité CONVENES CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE CHILD LABOR IN WEST AFRICAN COCOA FARMING
BRINGING TOGETHER NGOS, INDUSTRY, UNIONS AND ACADEMICS TO EXAMINE INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION OF COCOA FARMS IN GHANA AND CoTE D'IVOIRE

London, UK Verité, the US-based nonprofit that provides solutions to labor abuses worldwide through innovative corporate social responsibility, is convening another landmark one-day consultative meeting called "Why Verify? Making Cocoa Verification Count," in London, UK, to assist in the process of eliminating the worst forms of child labor and forced adult labor in the West African cocoa industry through independent verification of the certification effort of the Harkin Engel Protocol. The meeting on March 31, 2008, is the second consultative meeting hosted by Verité that brings stakeholders together to create a transparent, effective and credible verification process. This initiative to eliminate the worst forms of child labor and forced adult labor in cocoa farming began in 2001 with the Harkin-Engel Protocol and has accelerated with the newly-formed International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) called for in Verité's Road Map. Verité is acting as the interim Secretariat of the ICVB.

Representatives from several African NGOs, the International Labor Organization, UNICEF, Global Witness, Anti-Slavery International, trade unions, academics and many others are joining with representatives from the global cocoa industry to collaboratively discuss the challenges to independent verification and ways to strengthen this effort. We expect this robust dialog to result in stronger and more credible verification. The question remains, however, "Why verify"?

Information gathered during the surveys has already resulted in improvements for the National Plans to Combat Child Labor in both Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire but to ensure a fully transparent process the need for independent verification remains. The greater goal of verification is to ensure that these groundbreaking nationwide efforts to assess and improve conditions on the ground are robust and that remediation efforts are based on accurate data that is effectively targeted.

Attendees will hear directly from the top government officials who have conducted the surveys that assess the impact the Harkin Engel Protocol has on their countries. NGO panelists will address the work that they are doing on the front lines of efforts to combat child trafficking, the ways this effort impact their work and the very real need to ensure that the independent verifiers use child-centered interview techniques in their work.

Results from this meeting will provide input for the next ICVB meeting on April 3 and 4, 2008, when the Board will select verifiers. Independent verifiers will be in the fields for the first time beginning in May, 2008. This is the crucial next step in the larger effort to identify and remediate the Worst Forms of Child Labor nationwide in both Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire.

To register for "Why Verify? Making Cocoa Verification Count," please fill out the brief registration form and return it to aroscoe@verite.org by March 17.

Keynote Speakers at the meeting are Mme. Amouan Assouan Acquah, Special Counselor to the Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire and member of the ICVB, and Mme. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment and Member of Parliament of Ghana.

Other speakers include Evelyne Adom of Afrique Secours et Assistance, Cote d'Ivoire; Anita Sheth, Senior Analyst, Advocacy, Policy & Research of Save the Children Canada; Jeff Morgan, Director of Global Programs, Mars, Inc. and member of the ICVB; Franciska Isaaka, Founder, CENSUDI, The Centre for Sustainable Development Initiatives, Ghana; and Thodore S ka, President, RENFCAP, a Leading Capacity Building and Child Rights NGO, Cote d'Ivoire.

The conference will take place in the Exeter Suite of the Strand Palace Hotel. 
For reservations or directions contact:
The Strand Palace Hotel
372 Strand, London, WC2R 0JJ, England
+44 (0)20 7836 8080
http://www.strandpalacehotel.co.uk/

About Verité
Verité ensures that people worldwide work under healthy, safe, fair and legal conditions and provides solutions to labor abuses worldwide through innovative corporate social responsibility. Verité works in over 60 countries to empower companies, factories, NGOs, governments, and workers to create sustainable workplace practices in the factories and communities where our consumer goods are made.

In 2007 Verité was awarded one of ten Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship and named a Social Capitalist Award winner by Fast Company magazine/Monitor Group, having been recognized as one of the top organizations able to "translate their vision into action, and meet the harsh market standards of performance and accountability." For more information visit www.verite.org

CONTACT: Julie Sobkowicz    
jsobkowicz@Verité.org
+413.253.9227

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      October 30, 2007

Verité Selected For Key Role in
Improving Labor Conditions in Cocoa Production

Bringing Together Industry, Governments, Nongovernmental Organizations, Unions and Academics to Create a Transparent, Effective and Credible Verification Process

Amherst, MA - Verité, a worldwide NGO leader in advancing sustainable business practices that promote just and humane work, has been selected by the global cocoa industry to develop a practical and independent approach to verifying and addressing labor conditions in cocoa production in West Africa.

The Verité Road Map provides credibility to the measurement of labor conditions on West African cocoa farms, ensures that any abusive labor practices are effectively identified, and that instances of trafficking in children are immediately addressed.

The Verité Road Map is collaborative and transparent, emphasizing a strategic verification process leading to improved labor conditions in the world's largest cocoa exporting countries of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.  Central to the Road Map is the establishment of an independent Verification Board, convened by Verité that will facilitate cooperation among the governments of cocoa producing countries; the Cocoa industry itself; international and domestic NGOs; trade unions and academic specialists. 

"Verité's experience over the past decade makes it clear that complex problems like labor conditions in cocoa farming can't be solved by businesses, NGOs, trade unions or governments alone," said Dan Viederman, Verité's Executive Director and winner of the Skoll Foundation Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2007. "As the architect and facilitator of the Verification Process, we have designed a collaborative multi-stakeholder process that will improve the lives of cocoa farmers and their families."

According to Bill Guyton, President of the World Cocoa Foundation, an industry supported, non-profit organization playing a leading role in facilitating public-private partnerships to benefit cocoa farming communities around the world, "While much hard work remains, the involvement of Verité has brought a tremendous amount of insight and experience to the verification effort. And, it has yielded a way forward, one that will deliver on the promise of credible, independent verification for cocoa farming certification."

The findings from the Verification Process will be used to strengthen survey methodologies used by the governments of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire and ensuing remediation activities, in the context of the Harkin-Engel Protocol.

About Verité
Verité is a US-based nonprofit and award-winning pioneer in the social auditing, training, research and consulting field. The organization has over a decade of experience working with Fortune 500 corporations and their local suppliers through our global network of NGO partners. Verité works in over 60 countries to empower companies, factories, NGOs, governments, and workers to create sustainable workplace practices in the factories and communities where our consumer goods are made. For more information on Verité, go to http://www.Verité.org.