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Corporate Social Responsibility
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6.05.2008 - 07:05pm ET
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International Cocoa Verification Board Announces Organizations to Carry Out Independent Verification of Cocoa Sector Certification
(CSRwire) - June 5, 2008 - The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB)
announces the formal selection of Fafo AIS and Khulisa
Management Services as the agencies charged with carrying out the
verification of certification surveys in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. These
two agencies will collaborate with in-country organizations Research
International (Cote d'Ivoire) and HEDGE (Ghana) to conduct an independent
verification process and to make recommendations for strengthening future
certification surveys and remediation activities. This verification is a
crucial element of fulfilling the Harkin-Engel Protocol and informing
policy decisions on the worst forms of child labor and forced adult labor
in the cocoa sectors of C0te d'Ivoire and Ghana.
The partners, who were selected by the ICVB after a competitive
application process, offer a unique multi-national team, involving experts
from Europe, Africa and the United States.
Fafo Institute for
Applied International Studies (Fafo AIS) is a Norwegian-based
nonprofit with a longstanding reputation for expertise in data collection
and analysis, particularly for populations that are often elusive, such as
child laborers. Areas of experience in Africa include West and Central
Africa, Child Labor and Vulnerability, and Trafficking and Migration.
Fafo AIS has worked with UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, and ILO, among others,
to produce "research that matters".
Khulisa Management
Services (Khulisa), is a South African-based firm with 14 years
experience in monitoring, evaluation, research and data quality auditing
in the fields of child labor, education and public health across numerous
African countries. Khulisa's clients include the US Department of Labor
(USDOL), US Agency for International Development (USAID), UNICEF, the US
State Department, Global Fund, the European Union and others. Khulisa’s
team of ISO 9001-certified auditors will participate in the assessment
activities. In-country organizations Research International (Cote
d'Ivoire) and HEDGE (Ghana) will also play a key role in engaging with
cocoa producing communities during the representative sample stage of the
verification.
Together these organizations have the technical, local and cultural
capacities to conduct a rigorous verification process, which they will
accomplish in two main stages:First, an assessment of the
certification data collection activities will be carried out in the two
countries. This activity will include an assessment of the research
objectives and outcomes, the examination of suitability of research
techniques, conducting a data quality assessment (DQA) and an assessment
of the data analysis and output quality (results).
Then a representative sample survey will be carried out in the two
countries. This will include the creation of a representative sampling
design, instrument (questionnaire) development, pilot testing, training,
data collection and analysis and report writing.Based on this
approach, an overall synthesis and verification report will be presented,
with a particular emphasis on ways to improve future certification surveys
and the remediation efforts (both in the public and private sectors) that
they inform. Their distinct partnership also allows for an internal peer
review process of the data analysis and a final report that fully
synthesizes the contributions and observations of the various agencies.
The ICVB made contractual arrangements with the verifiers that allowed
them to begin the verification activities in April, prior to the actual
signing of contract in May. The Governments of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire
have acted quickly in granting the verifiers the required permissions and
the first phase of in-country work is already underway.
For more information regarding the ICVB, please visit www.cocoaverification.net.
This site will soon feature an interactive tool that will allow
stakeholders worldwide to offer feedback directly to the ICVB.
About the ICVB
The International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB) was convened in
December, 2007. This multi-stakeholder body includes nine representatives
from NGOs, academia, trade unions and industry. The nine Board members
are: Anthony Fofie, Ghana Cocoa Board; Amouan Assouan Acquah, Special
Counselor to the Prime Minister (Côte d’Ivoire); Stephen Ayidiya,
University of Ghana-Legon; Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, General Agricultural
Workers Union (Ghana); Alice Koiho Kipre, Afrique Secours et Assistance
(Côte d’Ivoire); Diane Mull, International Initiative on Exploitive
Child Labor (USA); John Trew, CARE International (USA); Jeff Morgan, Mars,
Inc. (USA); and Isabelle Adam, European Cocoa Association (Belgium). www.cocoaverification.net
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