The European Commission launched a multi-stakeholder dialogue on Tuesday 22 September to advance cocoa sustainability along the supply chain through collective action and partnerships.
The initiative brings together representatives from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana - the two main cocoa-producing countries, which account for 70% of world production and export more than 60% of their production to the EU - as well as representatives from the European Parliament, EU Member States, cocoa producers and civil society.
The multi-stakeholder dialogue should lead to concrete recommendations on sustainable cocoa, taking into account the three pillars of sustainable development: economic, environmental and social.
It aims to foster progress on sustainability issues in the cocoa sector over the long term. In doing so, it will complement Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana’s June 2019 joint initiative on a minimum world market price for cocoa.
This new multi-stakeholder dialogue will be supported by technical assistance to cocoa-producing countries.
Cocoa production involves particular risks related to child labour, deforestation and forest degradation in the countries concerned. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)