Entry: Bill Guyton, World Cocoa Foundation
Yesterday, colleagues at OECD/Club du Sahel posted a new regional cocoa initiative in West Africa (English Version) and (French Version) on their website. For those of you who are not familiar with Club du Sahel, they are an organization founded in 1976 to raise international awareness and support for the many challenges facing the nearly 290 million people living in 17 West African countries. OECD/Club du Sahel aids in the development and implementation of action-oriented policies and investments. What impresses me most about Club du Sahel is their knowledge of West Africa and commitment to work in partnership with local and regional institutions in addressing development and social issues.
Why is OECD/Club du Sahel interested in cocoa and child labour?
West Africa produces more than 70% of the world's cocoa production, and touches over a million and a half small-scale family farms in the region. In their recent report, OECD/Club du Sahel mentions opportunities to look at child labour more in a regional context, and to understand the root causes of this complex problem. Child labour needs to be addressed holistically, within the general context of the future of youth, poverty and economic development. The phenomenon occurs not only in cocoa, but in many agricultural sectors such as pineapple, banana and cotton farming.
A Stakeholder Approach:
Earlier this year, the World Cocoa Foundation, along with several key stakeholders including the International Labor Organization (ILO), UNICEF, USAID, ECOWAS, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium, CAOBISCO, the European Cocoa Association, ICI and others were invited by OECD/Club du Sahel to share experiences and ideas on how best to address child labour in West Africa’s cocoa sector. These consultations resulted in a “joint statement” for a positive path forward.
A Path Forward:
The OECD/Club du Sahel is seeking to work with existing partners and programs, building on the good work underway by the governments of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to further strengthen efforts through support of regional organizations such as ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS. These regional organizations can help address cross-border and migration dimensions of the West Africa cocoa sector and child labour.
The World Cocoa Foundation is pleased to be one of several stakeholders supporting this initiative.
