On 26 and 27 October, ICI participated in the 28th meeting of the World Cocoa Foundation’s partners across various panel discussions. The theme of the first panel was: “What is the sector’s situation today? The voice of CocoaAction: Focus on One” and saw the participation of Mrs. Euphrasia Aka, ICI’s Ivory Coast Coordinator, as a speaker.
ICI organised a panel on the worst forms of child labour and the promotion of child protection. Perspectives from government representatives, industry members, farmers and civil society were heard.
Yao Agnes Amenan, CANN Cooperative Manager, told the audience that child labour “steals childhood and dignity” and that more support is needed from all sectors to tackle it effectively.
Aboubacar Kampo, of UNICEF, emphasised this point and said that combatting child labour is a good investment for any society and sector to pursue.
“We are responsible for our supply chain,” Simon Billington of Nestlé said during the panel and stated that child labour is the main social issue which chocolate consumers are concerned about. “We need to be transparent, recognise we have a problem and do something to tackle it.”
ICI’s Nick Weatherill, who moderated the event, said that more support is wanted but in order to follow through on this more resources need to be made available.
The meeting of the WCF partners was opened by Daniel Kablan Duncan, Prime Minister of Ivory Coast, and Mrs. Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Ivory Coast, President of the National Committee against Trafficking, Exploitation and Child Labour delivered a keynote speech. The meeting was closed by the Minister of Agriculture.