The government of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and the companies involved in the chocolate and cocoa supply chain, have agree on a series of practical actions to implement the Joint Framework of Action, signed at COP23 in Bonn last November.
The announcement heralds the next phase of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI). Through this initiative, the industry and the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are working together to end deforestation and forest degradation caused by cocoa production.
For the Ghana implementation plan 2018-2020 click here.
For the Côte d’Ivoire implementation plan 2018-2020 in English click here and French click here.
At the Ivorian meeting signatories presented the results of work jointly conducted over the past six months by working groups on forest preservation, agroforestry, social inclusion, traceability, finance and monitoring & evaluation. Among the outcomes was the identification of the first five priority regions in Côte d’Ivoire where CFI activities will be carried out: Guémon, Cavally, Nawa, San Pedro and La Mé.
Progress was also reported in defining the government’s policy plan to halt deforestation and forest degradation by 2020, including a uniform traceability system, implementation of agroforestry in cocoa production and the creation of a public-private fund for forest preservation. Read more about that final policy here
Alain Donwahi, Minister of Water and Forestry Côte d’Ivoire:
“I hope that the start-up phase covering the period 2018-2020, during which pilot actions will be carried out, is followed by a longer extension phase with a minimum duration of 10 years to obtain the significant impacts envisaged.”
John Peter Amewu, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Ghana:
“We call on all stakeholders to buy into the initiative to help curb illegal activities so that we protect our forest and cocoa”.
Jonas Mva Mva, IDH’s Cocoa Program Director said:
“With the validation of the implementation plan a key step has been taken for the partners to move to action on the ground. The coming months will be crucial to further expand and reinforce the existing experiences, while assuring the engagement of local communities in the forest protection plans.”
Rick Scobey, President of WCF said:
“WCF and nearly 30 companies are committed to support the implementation of the Ivorian government’s new strategic directions. We will remain a trusted partner to ensure the sustainability of cocoa, the health of the planet, and the prosperity of Ivorian cocoa farmers.”
The set of public-private actions announced today represent unprecedented commitments on forest protection and restoration, and sustainable cocoa production and farmer livelihoods. These combined actions, which are aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement, will play a crucial role in sequestering carbon stocks and thereby addressing global and local climate change.
For a complete list of companies who have committed to the joint framework of action, see here.
For the implementation plan 2018-2020 for Ghana click here.
For the implementation plan 2018-2020 for Côte d’Ivoire in English click here and French click here.
Read more about The Cocoa & Forests Initiative