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.
Read More...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.
Read More...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
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.
Read More...
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
The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) announced the official publication of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Verification of Certification Activities in West Africa. The RFP was 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.
Read More...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
The meeting brought together NGOs, industry, unions and academics to examine independent verification of cocoa farms in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. The meeting on March 31, 2008, was the second consultative meeting hosted by Verité that brings stakeholders together to create a transparent, effective and credible verification process.
Read More...
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
Verité's role brings together industry, governments, nongovernmental organizations, unions and academics to create a transparent, effective and credible verification process. 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.
Read More...
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.
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