September 16, 2011 – Since signing the Harkin-Engel Protocol agreement in 2001, industry has been working in partnership with others including origin governments, civil society, and development partners to bring about a reduction in the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa sector. The Protocol has been an important catalyst for change in labor practices in the cocoa sector of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana although we recognise there is still much to be done.
Building on the results and lessons learned over the past decade, one year ago on September 13th 2010, industry joined in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, Governments of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana and the offices of Senator Harkin and Representative Engel and signed the Declaration of Action and Framework of Action to support the Implementation of the Protocol and accelerate efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor.
The Framework of Action represents a new partnership with a common purpose and clear goal of bringing about an aggregate 70 percent reduction in the worst forms of child labor in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana by 2020. To this end the Framework of Action aims to support new or expanded initiatives that:-
- Remove children from the worst forms of child labor, such as hazardous labor, through activities including educational or vocational training and the removal of workplace hazards
- Prevent the exposure of children to the worst forms of child labor through increased access to schooling and vocational training and improvements to the quality and relevance of education
- Promote sustainable livelihoods for the households of children in cocoa growing areas
- Measure the worst forms of child labor and the impact of the initiatives of the partners aimed at addressing them through the establishment and implementation of community-based child labor monitoring systems in cocoa growing areas and the continuation of regular national child labor surveys.
The international chocolate and cocoa industry including ADM, Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Ferrero, The Hershey Company, Kraft Foods, Mars Inc., and Nestlé immediately obligated to the Framework and, they have committed US$ 2 million for a Public – Private Partnership with ILO-IPEC (International Labor Organisations’ International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor) focused on community based Child Labor Monitoring Systems (CLMS) and capacity building of governments, social partners and cocoa farmers in combatting child labor.
The Declaration of Action and Framework steering group has committed to inform all interested stakeholders and parties on the efforts underway to achieve its overall goal, and will shortly be issuing a joint interim statement to mark the first anniversary.
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