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I want to extend a warm welcome to the Annual Partnership Meeting of the World Cocoa Foundation.
We are delighted to have 46 member companies in attendance – this is a record level of participation. I particularly want to shout out the new members who have joined us in 2019, including Unilever, Sainsbury’s, GCB Cocoa, PBC Limited, Adikanfo Commodities Limited, and KKO International.
The Partnership Meeting is an important opportunity for the cocoa family to come together and discuss key issues. I want to express my sincere thanks to the companies supporting this year’s event:
I want to extend a special welcome and thanks to two global leaders who play a critical role in ensuring the sustainable supply of cocoa in the world, and have been great partners of WCF: Mr. Yves Brahima Koné, Director General of the Conseil du Café Cacao, and Mr. JB Aidoo, Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board.
We are honored to have other valued partners with us, including
Finally, I want to acknowledge the most important people in the room: the cocoa farmers, whose hard work and efforts are the backbone of the entire cocoa and chocolate industry.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
A lot has happened in the cocoa sector since we last met one year ago in Brazil.
2019 has indeed been a year of change, new thinking, and renewed energy to accelerate sustainability in the sector.
WCF has responded to these developments by rethinking our own strategy over the past year.
Yesterday, the WCF Board of Directors endorsed our new strategic directions.
We have reaffirmed that the vision of WCF is a thriving and sustainable cocoa sector, where farmers prosper, communities are empowered, and the planet is healthy.
We have committed to focus on three long-term goals:
Industry cannot achieve these goals in isolation – we need a strong enabling environment where we work with origin governments and all stakeholders to drive transformation through three critical levers of change.
We have organized this year’s Partnership Meeting to discuss and unpack these three drivers of change.
All of our panels and break out discussions over the next two days reinforce our core strategic message that the building block of sustainability is a living income for farmers.
The industry has been working closely with the governments, farmers, and other partners to make cocoa farming truly sustainable and profitable. The industry has been clear that we are implementing the Living Income Differential that Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana introduced in July 2019 as part of a mutual objective to raise farmer income. Our company members are incorporating the Living Income Differential into their individual procurement plans for the 2020-21 crop season.
As we focus on increasing farmer income, we must also ensure that the cocoa is grown responsibly. Despite progress, children continue to labor in hazardous conditions on some cocoa farms, with gaps in access to safe, high-quality schooling. Likewise, while deforestation rates are dropping in some protected forests in response to our collaboration with governments under the Cocoa & Forests Initiative, we still see some continued conversion of forest land for smallholder cocoa farming in other areas.
Industry has been accelerating our efforts, in partnership with the governments, to address child labor and deforestation. We view these steps as essential building blocks to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of no poverty, zero hunger, decent work and economic growth, gender equality, sustainable land use, and climate action.
We are encouraged by the progress that is underway to ensure a responsible supply chain and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The sustainability programs of WCF member companies are playing an important role in this progress. We are directly helping almost 700,000 farmers and their families, about 45% of all cocoa growers in Côte d’Ivoire and the Ghana. These programs:
We cannot ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector without farmers receiving fair remuneration for their crop. Likewise, a long-term increase in farmer remuneration must come from responsible cocoa production, with due attention to child labor, deforestation, and stable long-term supply-side management.
We have developed a very full program for the next two days to unpack these issues and highlight the strategic directions of WCF.
Let me close by again by welcoming you to the Partnership Meeting. There is an African proverb that says “Wisdom does not come overnight.” We all are on a shared journey to enhance the sustainability of the cocoa sector, and improve the livelihoods of the cocoa farmers, their families, and their communities.
On behalf of the WCF Team, I hope that the discussions over the next two days enrich our understanding, and inspire us to work harder to accelerate inclusive and sustainable growth in cocoa.
Thank you.