encouraging sustainable, responsible cocoa growing

Entry: Bill Guyton

Yesterday, I participated in a multi-stakeholder forum on cocoa labor issues, co-hosted by the US Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

Along with many colleagues from the chocolate industry, key government representatives from Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire and the NGO community participated.

Mrs. Akosua Frema Osei Opare, Deputy Minister of Manpower in Ghana and Mrs. Acquah Assouan Amouan from Cote d'Ivoire highlighted the efforts their countries are taking, in partnership with the cocoa industry, NGOs and labor experts, to implement a sector-wide certification system on child labor in cocoa farming. Details on Ghana's and Cote d'Ivoire's latest surveys will be reported in the coming days. Both Mrs Frema and Mrs. Acquah were honored by the Africa Society and the World Cocoa Foundation on the previous day for their leadership.

In the afternoon, I was asked to moderate a session on sustainable approaches in eliminating the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa sector. We talked about short and long-term recommendations that were then shared with the larger group.

In all, the forum allowed a good opportunity to exchange information on various approaches and actions on the ground to help address child labor.