International Cocoa Initiative
Budget
€15,936,083
EP Access
0
accredited persons
Staff
7
7 FTE
EU Grants
None
Mission & Goals
ICI is a Swiss-based multi-stakeholder initiative advancing the elimination of child labour and forced labour in cocoa growing communities by uniting the forces of the cocoa and chocolate industry, civil society, farming communities, governments, international organizations and donors. ICI’s Vision is of thriving cocoa-growing communities within a dignified, sustainable and responsibly managed cocoa supply chain, where child rights and human rights are protected and respected, and where child labour and forced labour are eliminated. ICI’s strategic objectives aim for a responsible cocoa supply-chain (where systems and services that responsibly and transparently prevent and remediate child labour and forced labour are strengthened, conjoined and scaled-up) working within a supportive enabling environment (where national and international policies and systems are conducive to change) as part of an integrated and coordinated multi-stakeholder effort.
EU Legislative Interests
The main EU legislative proposals or policies targeted by ICI as part of its strategy include: • Corporate due diligence and corporate accountability • Ford Labour Regulation • Partnership Agreements between the EU and cocoa producing countries such as Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana • EU multi-stakeholder dialogue on sustainable cocoa • A stronger Europe in the world: Free and fair trade
Communication Activities
Examples of policy implementation: • 2024-2029 Framework of Action for the prevention and progressive elimination of child labour in cocoa growing communities of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana: https://www.cocoainitiative.org/knowledge-hub/resources/2024-2029-framework-action-clccg • Côte d'Ivoire Plan d'Action National de lutte contre la traite, l'exploitation et le travail des enfants (2025-2029) - Not yet publicly available • Côte d’Ivoire Plan d’Action National de lutte contre la traite, l’exploitation et le travail des enfants (2019-2021) : http://www.travaildesenfants.org/sites/default/files/pdf_documents/PLAN%20D%27ACTION%20NATIONAL%20%28PAN%29%20%202019-2021%20PDF.pdf • Ghana National Plan of Action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour 2017-2021 (phase II): https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/1836/file/National%20Plan%20of%20Action%20to%20Eliminate%20the%20Worst%20Forms%20of%20Child%20Labour.pdf • Ghana Accelerated Action Plan Against Child Labour 2023 – 2027: ICI summary of the Ghana Accelerated Action Plan Against Child Labour 2023 - 2027 | ICI Cocoa Initiative • ICI Strategy 2021-2026 : https://cocoainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICI-2021-2026-Strategy_EN.pdf Main projects : • Community development programs: https://cocoainitiative.org/news-media-post/ici-community-development-programme-analysis/ • Child Labour Monitoring and Remediations System (CLMRS): https://cocoainitiative.org/our-work/our-work/supply-chain/ Example of events: • Webinar: Human Rights Due Diligence in the Cocoa Sector: What is the role of retailers? https://www.cocoainitiative.org/news/human-rights-due-diligence-cocoa-sector-what-role-retailers#:~:text=In%20the%20cocoa%20sector%2C%20where%20child%20labour%20and,conducting%20ongoing%2C%20risk-based%20human%20rights%20due%20diligence%20%28HRDD%29. • EU-US roundtable on due diligence https://futurium.ec.europa.eu/en/EU-US-TTC/wg10/documents/ttc-wg10-report-roundtable-due-diligence-3-march-2023 - speaker • 2019 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights: https://2019unforumbhr.sched.com/event/U9Ga • ICI Stakeholder Meetings: https://cocoainitiative.org/our-work/our-work/international-level/ • World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Meetings • International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) Consultative Board Meetings • International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) World Cocoa Conferences • Operationalising HRDD in the Cocoa Sector: Upcoming event: Operationalising Human Rights Due Diligence in the Cocoa Sector | ICI Cocoa Initiative Key publications : • ICI Learning into Action Reports: https://www.cocoainitiative.org/knowledge-hub/learning-action • ICI Annual Report 2024: https://www.cocoainitiative.org/about-us/annual-reports • Business Handbook on Due Diligence in the Cocoa Sector: Addressing child labour and forced labour: Business Handbook on Due Diligence in the Cocoa Sector: Addressing child labour and forced labour | ICI Cocoa Initiative • ICI (2020) ICI technical summary of NORC Report “Assessing Progress in Reducing Child Labour in Cocoa Production in Cocoa Growing Areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, 2018/9 survey round”: https://cocoainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ICI_Technical_Summary_2018-19_NORC_survey.pdf • The impact of ICI’s Community Development Programme in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire on Child Labour: https://cocoainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ICI_Impact-of-community-development-programme-on-child-labour.pdf • Predict child labour risk at household level. A risk model for cocoa farming households in Ghana: https://cocoainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ICI_predicting-child-labour-risk-model-for-households_oct2020.pdf • The effects of cash transfers on child labour. A review of evidence from rural contexts: https://cocoainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ICI_Impact-of-cash-transfers-on-child-labour_31032020.pdf
Interests Represented
Does not represent commercial interests
Member Of
• Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa • German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa • Dutch Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa • Beyond Chocolate Partnership Belgium • CSO in ISCO • Initiative française pour un cacao durable • UN Global Compact • ILO Child Labour Platform • ICCI Consultative Board • Cocoa Coalition (informal group) • UK Cocoa Coalition (informal group)
Organisation Members
• Industry members: https://cocoainitiative.org/about-ici/our-partners/industry-members/ • Civil society members: https://cocoainitiative.org/about-ici/our-partners/civil-union-partners/
Commissioner Meetings
No recorded meetings with EU commissioners.