The governments of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, along with the United States Department of Labor, pledged to support the agreement signed in Abidjan last month by the World Cocoa Foundation, representing the chocolate industry on such matters.
The 2024 Framework of Action recognises that contributing to addressing the root causes of child labour requires immediate and comprehensive multistakeholder action and effective coordination.
But already, it has led to criticism from Antonie Fountain, Managing Director of sustainability watchdog the Voice Network, who said: “Although it is good that there now finally are some agreements again on child labour in the cocoa sector, the process by which this Framework of Action was developed has been deeply flawed.
“Rights-holders such as farmers, community representatives, and local and global civil society have been purposely kept out, despite repeated requests and attempts at engagement. It feels like 2001 all over again.
“However, the cocoa sector is a quarter of a century more experienced. We can and should do better.”
Greater coordination and collective action
The Framework has been developed to help define roles and responsibilities, ensure greater coordination and collective action, mobilize further support, and ensure actions align with the priorities of cocoa-producing countries.
It was developed within the Child Labor in Cocoa Coordinating Group (CLCCG), whose work is supported by technical expert organizations, including the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI).
The World Cocoa Foundation's president, Chris Vincent, said: “The 2024 CLCCG Framework of Action represents a significant step forward in our shared mission to combat child labour in cocoa-growing communities.
Anthony Myers
“It underscores the cocoa and chocolate industry’s steadfast commitment to help foster sustainable livelihoods and helping children have the opportunity to thrive. The World Cocoa Foundation greatly values the collaboration of our CLCCG partners—the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the United States Department of Labor, and other key stakeholders—whose dedication and expertise have been crucial to advancing this mission.”
Still, a report by the US Department of Child Labor in 2019 revealed approximately 1.56 million children were engaged in child labour on cocoa farms in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, which represents approximately 43% of all children living in agricultural households within cocoa-growing areas of these countries.
Despite recent efforts from the major stakeholders, reports indicate that child labor remains a significant issue in the two countries.
A 2024 Reuters article noted that cocoa farmers in Ghana filed a complaint with the state regulator, Cocobod, addressing key environmental and social issues, including the persistence of child labour.
Signatories of the Framework of Action have reaffirmed their commitment to work together by working to:
- Improve the wellbeing and development of children and their families in cocoa-growing communities
- Improve the coverage of effective private Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS), and their alignment and interoperability with the Système observation et de Suivi du Travail des Enfants in Côte d’Ivoire (SOSTECI) and the Ghana Child Labor Monitoring Systems (GCLMS), as well as national cocoa traceability systems and child protection case management systems
- Improve access to quality education as well as technical and vocational training
- Strengthen social services and social protection
- Increase household income and women’s and youth empowerment in cocoa-growing communities in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana; and
- Promote social dialogue to address child labour and its root causes, including through efforts to engage farmers and workers at the community level in cocoa-growing areas and others active in cocoa production.
The WCF said that following the signature of the Framework, an Action Plan will be developed within six months. The plan will specify the activities each signatory plans to support. It will also identify areas of action for which collaborative programmes are to be developed and provide progress indicators for each thematic area.
ICI Executive Director Matthias Lange said: “As we know, no one actor alone can solve the problem of child labour. Collaboration is the key to our success, and we are pleased to see this commitment to coordinated approaches from the Framework’s signatories.
“We know what is needed to reduce child labour substantially, and these elements are reflected in this Framework. It is their concrete operationalization that will enable us to achieve the impact that is expected of us.
“We look forward to working with the various stakeholders in the next phase and to supporting the individual and collective actions that will enable us to improve the lives of children and their families in cocoa-growing communities.”
Fountain concluded: “Congratulations to ICI as a secretariat on launching this Framework. But the next steps will absolutely need to be more inclusive. Content-wise, it’s not a bad framework. And my criticism of its content is centered around what’s missing, not around what is in it.
"However, this top-down approach will not lead to meaningful improvement. Neither will it lead to transparency."
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