Accountability, Monitoring and Evaluation (AME) Framework
To make sure there is a certain level of alignment in the reporting, an Accountability, Monitoring and Evaluation (AME) Framework was set up. The AME Framework enables partners to report on the progress made vis-à-vis the overall and individual commitments and additional ambitions of the partnership. Beyond Chocolate partners used this framework to report on their progress for a first time in 2020.
In June 2020, Beyond Chocolate, the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) and the Swiss Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), documenting the ambition to harmonize their monitoring frameworks. Previously, stakeholders that were part of multiple initiatives needed to report at different moments in time for each platform on different sets of indicators. Since the signing of the MoU, the three initiatives have harmonized indicators as much as possible and continue to look for optimization.
In 2021, Beyond Chocolate and GISCO brought this newly developed common monitoring framework into practice. The two platforms synchronized monitoring cycles and together commissioned the development of a joint online monitoring tool. The tool was launched on April 28th, 2021 and used by partners of GISCO and Beyond Chocolate to report on their 2020 progress. The Dutch Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (DISCO) has now also joined the harmonized framework and monitoring tool. The Swiss Platform on Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) has not yet joined in 2022 but is actively involved in the development of both the monitoring framework as well as the online reporting tool and has expressed the intention to join in a next phase. The improvement of both the framework as well as the tool will be a continuous effort of the ISCO secretariats and of the ISCO monitoring working group.
2020 Annual Report
On September 30th, 2021, Beyond Chocolate published its 2020 Annual Report. The annual report shows that the Belgian chocolate sector is taking first steps towards realizing its
ambitions. Of the more than 700,000 tons of chocolate produced in Belgium today, 57% is now certified and/or covered by a corporate sustainability program. An increase of 7% compared to 2019.
The growing market demand for sustainable products seems to support this trend. More and more brands are opting for certification and/or corporate sustainability programs. Supermarkets are taking up responsibility: as a first step, Colruyt, Delhaize, Aldi and Lidl have ensured that all chocolate sold under their private labels is certified.
The Monitoring Working Group
Beyond Chocolate partners are actively involved in the development and implementation of the AME Framework. In March 2020, a specialized AME working group was formed which provides strategic guidance on the way in which the partners of Beyond Chocolate should be kept accountable, monitored and evaluated. In 2021, the AME working group was incorporated in the joint Monitoring Group of the National Initiatives on Sustainable Cocoa in Europe (ISCOs).
Publications
| Title | Type | Year | Regions | TAF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guidance Document 2022 Monitoring – Beyond Chocolate, DISCO and GISCO | Toolkit and guide | 2022 | - | - |
| ISCO 2022 Agenda | Other publications | 2022 | - | - |
| ISCO Agenda 2022 | Terms of Reference | 2021 | - | - |
| Beyond Chocolate 2020 Annual Report | Annual Report | 2021 | - | - |
| Cargill Case Study on Cocoa Traceability | Case Study | 2021 | - | - |
| Barry Callebaut Case Study on Cocoa Traceability | Case Study | 2021 | - | - |
No publications found.
