History, Background
A Commitment
In 2000, reports first emerged that children were being harmed in the growing of cocoa in West Africa. Working with labor experts, non-governmental organizations, and elected officials, the chocolate and cocoa industry developed an agreement, known today as the “Protocol,” to ensure that cocoa is grown responsibly, without the worst forms of child labor or forced adult labor as defined by the International Labor Organization’s Conventions 182 and 29.
The Protocol outlined a number of steps to address the issue – including the development of a “certification” system for cocoa farming.
No “Roadmap”
The Protocol defined the “destination,” but not the map for getting there. No group had ever attempted to report on labor conditions across an entire agricultural sector in the developing world. Most programs focused on labor practices in factories or at a finite number of work sites: in West Africa alone, there are more than two million cocoa farms, stretching across tens of thousands of square miles of rural geography.
(To learn more about the unique challenges associated with labor issues on cocoa farms, click here)
Recognizing the challenges, and their lack of experience in complex social issues, the industry worked with partners in developing a robust, credible model for certification, one that would make a positive, lasting impact in the lives of children and adults in the West African cocoa farming sector.
The active participation of partners was essential, bringing expertise, credibility, and the involvement of institutions best suited to address labor and related issues on cocoa farms.
Hundreds of experts, representing several dozen different organizations, worked together to develop the certification process. Government ministries in Ghana and the Ivory Coast participated, as did community leaders and experts on such important issues as child labor, migration, and agriculture.
The path forward was complex and progress often slow. Over time, however, agreement around the key issues emerged. Ultimately, certification would be most effective if designed to drive ongoing improvement in the well-being of children, families and communities in the West African cocoa sector, through regular data collection, reporting, and targeting of coordinated response efforts.
Further, certification would collect information from a statistically representative number of farms to provide a comprehensive, credible view of labor conditions across the cocoa sector. Data collected from these visits would form the basis of a certification report, which would measure progress in addressing labor issues and recommend further actions to improve the well-being of children and adults in cocoa farming communities.
Certification will... |
Certification will not... |
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In July, 2005, the industry joined with U.S. Senator Tom Harkin and U.S. Representative Eliot Engel – both of whom led the development of the Protocol in 2001 – to commit to having certification across 50 percent of the cocoa farming sector in Ghana and the Ivory Coast by July, 2008.
Since then, considerable progress has been achieved in Ghana, which will release its first certification report in 2007. The report will be based on a pilot data collection effort, conducted in late 2006, involving visits to farms accounting for more than 10 percent of the country’s cocoa production.
Work in the Ivory Coast has not progressed as quickly due to political divisions and instability.
Timeline of certification:
Year |
Key Events |
2001 |
Industry signs “Protocol” in line with ILO Conventions 182 and 29: commits to developing a system of certification for cocoa farming in West Africa |
2002-2004 |
Industry representatives begin working with West African governments, labor experts, non-governmental organizations and cocoa farming community leaders to develop a blueprint for a cocoa certification program An independent survey of several thousand West African cocoa farms highlights important issues that must be addressed Industry launches a number of programs to improve the well-being of cocoa farming communities and promote safe, responsible labor practices
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2004 - 2005 |
In conjunction with the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) WACAP program, a cocoa farm labor monitoring program takes place in selected communities of Ghana and Ivory Coast. The small scale activity involves collecting information on farm practices by the ILO through local NGOs and community groups The Ivory Coast government issues an official decree stating its commitment to addressing child labor issues and to the implementation of certification Industry sets a goal of having 50 percent of the cocoa sector in Ghana and the Ivory Coast covered by a certification program by July 2008 |
2006 |
The government of Ghana establishes a special program to address child labor issues in general and on cocoa farms specifically. The Ministry of Manpower together with the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) takes the lead on certification-related activities. Pilot data collection process takes place in Ghana. Surveyors visit communities and farms in districts where more than 10 % of the country’s total cocoa is produced. Industry and partners announce “Healthy Communities,” significant expansion of efforts to improve conditions in cocoa farming communities. The effort will reach 150,000+ farming families in West Africa. |
2007 |
The first certification report is scheduled to be released by the government of Ghana |