CODEL ENGEL'S VISIT ON CHILD LABOR IN COCOA DRAWS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ABIDJAN 000056 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT PASS TO USTR, C.HAMILTON DEPARTMENT PASS TO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATIONS OF REP. ENGEL, SEN. HARKIN AND SEN. SANDERS DOL FOR ILAB TRASA TREASURY FOR D.PETERS USAID FOR C.GARRETT, S.SWIFT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV EAGR ECON EAID ELAB OREP IV SUBJECT: CODEL ENGEL'S VISIT ON CHILD LABOR IN COCOA DRAWS HEAVY ATTENTION; GOVERNMENT OFFERS NEW IDEAS FOR ENHANCING AND EXTENDING THE ACCORD REF: SECSTATE 001010 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Representative Engel, Senator Harkin and Senator Sanders met with President Gbagbo, Prime Minister Soro and key government ministers to discuss the implementation of the Harkin Engel Protocol, a key element of which is the July 1, 2008 deadline, which aims to put in place a child labor monitoring system covering 50 percent of Cote d'Ivoire's cocoa growing region. The delegation also held a stakeholders roundtable and a meeting with representatives of international cocoa processors, and later visited a representative cocoa-growing village to see first hand some of the factors contributing to the persistence of child labor in cocoa production. During the meetings with the Prime Minister and President, along with the stakeholders roundtable, the government presented the general outlines of a proposal to extend the Protocol by channeling more of the currently independent efforts through the national plan, providing more resources by industry, and incorporating more liberalization of the cocoa industry so that farmers capture more income generated by cocoa exports. End Summary. CODEL Engel Meets Prime Minister Soro, Ministers of Agriculture, Labor and Family Affairs -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On January 8, CODEL Engel met with Prime Minister Soro and the Ministers of Agriculture, Labor and Family Affairs, and discussed the government's actions to date to implement the Harkin-Engel Protocol, what steps remain to be taken, and the means necessary to achieve objectives with which all stakeholders agree. Prime Minister Soro, having just arrived from a taxing journey to Bouake, the country's second largest city and zone of recent unrest within his "Forces Nouvelles" faction, saluted the will of his government and its partners in the international chocolate industry to make strides in this important endeavor. Touching on the importance of 2008, Soro noted it will be a year of elections and a definitive end to the ongoing political crisis, as well as the year in which the Harkin/Engel Protocol deadline of July 1 will fall. Soro noted cocoa's importance to the national economy, and said the country's government cannot hide from the reality that child labor in the sector remains a problem. He pointed to governmental efforts, such as distribution of school "kits" to encourage school attendance in lieu of working in the fields. Soro stated strongly that Cote d'Ivoire is "not a country of slavers," in underscoring his position that while child labor lamentably still exists, child slavery is not tolerated. ¶3. (SBU) Representative Engel said that the delegation came "not to judge," but out of genuine concern and desire to see how the Protocol was being implemented on the ground. Senator Harkin underscored Engel's statement, saying that "together, we can lift children out of abusive situations" and that "we are committed to the Protocol." Senator Harkin recalled his own family history in discussing child labor, noting his own hard work on his family's farm as a child, but drew the distinction between permissible forms of child labor and those targeted by ILO 182, which both the U.S. and Cote d'Ivoire have signed. Preempting the question of a boycott on Ivorian cocoa, Harkin told the Ivorian government that the American people increasingly want to know from where and under what conditions products they consume are produced, and that they will not tolerate knowing such products are made using labor that abuses children. Harkin asked how quickly Cote d'Ivoire would be able to set up a child labor monitoring system covering 100 percent of the country's cocoa-growing regions after meeting the 50 percent threshold, and suggested U.S. consumers would be pleased if that could be accomplished in the months that follow July. Senator Sanders, echoing Harkin's words, discussed how globalization marches hand in hand with the insistence by consumers on knowing the conditions in which products they consume are made, and reminded the Prime Minister about the 2007 problems with Chinese-origin products and foods. Sanders said that the American people would not accept massive corporate profits by cocoa-processing companies at the expense of children. ABIDJAN 00000056 002 OF 005 ¶4. (SBU) Prime Minister Soro said plainly that children should go to school instead of working in cocoa fields. At that point, Minister of Labor Hubert Oulaye, a strong ally of the President, touched on the reality that the sector comprises over 800,000 small farmers. The Minister said that Cote d'Ivoire has signed accords with neighboring countries to strengthen joint efforts to halt cross-border trafficking in children to work in cocoa fields, but that unfortunately, the practice is still widespread. Pointing to the government's financial commitment, the Minister said it had spent USD 6 million on a variety of child labor education, remediation and monitoring activities, and needs an additional USD 2 million from its partners in the chocolate industry. Focusing on rural development, Oulaye said that quasi-governmental cocoa structures have invested over USD 40 million in clinics, wells and road paving using funds raised through special taxes (parafiscal charges on cocoa exports). Oulaye mentioned key partners in education, mass sensitization and detection efforts, specifically naming the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI),the German government's development agency (GTZ),the USAID/industry-funded Sustainable Tree Crop Initiative (STCP) and the U.S.-based NGO International Foundation for Education and Self Help (IFESH). Oulaye assessed the efforts by the government and its diverse partners by noting the results of the government's pilot child labor monitoring project (the results of which were published November 30),but also saying that "the path towards a full certification system (as called for by the Protocol) isn't entirely clear." ¶5. (SBU) Congressman Engel said that he and Senator Harkin had extended the Protocol deadline from July 1, 2005 to 2008 in light of the political situation in Cote d'Ivoire. He said that punitive legislation would be a last resort, but that progress is being made; industry, for example, is no longer hostile to the idea of taking responsibility to help improve the child labor situation as it had been initially. Pointing to the results from the pilot project, Engel expressed concerns related to the high number of children involved in one or more of the worst forms of child labor. For example, 84 percent are used to carry overly heavy loads. ¶6. (SBU) Minister of Agriculture Amadou Gon Coulibaly discussed market forces shaping the cocoa sector, noting that the price set by the quasi-governmental Cocoa Marketing Board (BCC) is merely indicative, not a fixed set price, and said that farmers earn weak incomes on average. He then suggested that a bonus paid to farmers who certify that they don't engage in child labor could both boost farmer income and end the use of child labor. Such revenues could be used to invest in rural development and infrastructure, according to Coulibaly. ¶7. (SBU) Senator Harkin raised the subject of industry commitment of financial resources to the effort to combat the worst forms of child labor, and recalled that it had pledged USD 15 million in 2005 to be spent over three years. Citing figures he brought with him, Harkin said that only USD 2 million has actually been committed. Breaking down the figures even further, Harkin said that ADM had only committed USD 150,000, Cargill USD 150,000, Kraft USD 250,000 and Mars USD 460,000. Industry, according to Harkin, would have to increase its level of commitment. The Prime Minister's Special Advisor on Child Labor, Ms. Assouan Acquah, said that the government of Cote d'Ivoire was unaware of the figures cited by Senator Harkin, and unaware of how industry targets its resources in the field. Senators Sanders and Harkin remarked how even the Tulane University study examining the Protocol's implementation was unable to determine how those funds were being used. Acquah stated that her inter-ministerial committee had received USD 140,000 from industry to support its efforts to establish the child labor monitoring system, and that industry had separately funded international consultants to train the trainers, but that the government was unaware of how much had been spent on the latter effort. Similarly, Acquah said that industry and international government development agencies (GTZ) fund child labor efforts in the field, but do so outside of the government's coordination and plan. ABIDJAN 00000056 003 OF 005 ¶8. (U) After the meeting with the Prime Minister, the delegation was met with heavy media coverage. (Note: Press summaries and newspaper and video clips have been sent to the Department, the offices of the Congressional delegation and other interested agencies via unclassified email. Contact PAO Sharon White, whitesn@state.gov, for further information. End Note) Codel Engel Holds Stakeholder Roundtable -------------- ¶9. (U) Codel Engel held a roundtable with Madame Acquah and some of her key staff, international NGOs, GTZ, and several representatives from the international chocolate industry on the afternoon of January 8. Drawing on themes expressed by the delegation with Prime Minister Soro, Senator Harkin said that the effort to meet the July 1 deadline for a child labor monitoring system covering 50 percent of the cocoa-growing regions was a vital component to giving Cote d'Ivoire a "certification report card." That report card, in turn, would enable those interested in eventual eradication of abusive child labor to tailor effective remediation efforts. Senator Sanders reiterated the point that the American people would not tolerate exploitation in the production of chocolate. ¶10. (SBU) Madame Acquah said that the government's monitoring system should be in place by March. Drawing from the theme she explored in the meeting with the Prime Minister, she said that the diverse efforts of independent NGOs and stakeholders should be coordinated, i.e., work under the rubric of the national plan. Otherwise, she said, their efforts would be wasteful. With an effective national plan encompassing efforts by all parties, necessary increases in resources could achieve substantial results. ¶11. (U) GTZ presented its sensitization campaign elements, one of the central pillars of its integrated anti-child labor program being rolled out in Cote d'Ivoire's cocoa-growing belt. GTZ is working with the central and departmental governments to create a network of village anti-trafficking committees, each of which is charged with not only detecting cases of child trafficking, but spreading the word in each of the many ethnic groups resident in each zone that parents should avoid the worst forms of child labor when their children accompany them to the fields, and should insist that children go to school. In connection with its child labor campaign, GTZ provides local-language content to the country's network of rural radio stations to reinforce the central message. ¶12. (U) ICI's representative reported that its sensitization campaign is an essential element of its strategy. ICI begins by helping farmers understand the definition of children and child labor according to international standards (under 18),which contrasts with traditional notions which generally identify children as 14 and under. ICI's local NGO partner elaborated on this theme, noting that generally young people of 12 and 13 who already have children (which is common) are considered adults. However, ICI's representative said that with proper sensitization, communities begin to motivate themselves and adopt strategies (such as building schools, even without governmental assistance). ¶13. (SBU) Congressman Engel asked industry representatives for a review of industry's expenditures to date in support of ICI. ICI's representative said that ICI's expenditures in 2007 were USD 2 million, of which USD 500,000 was spent in Cote d'Ivoire. USD 250,000 was spent to train NGO partners, USD 150,000 on NGO sensitization campaigns, and USD 100,000 to support a local NGO that specializes in removal of trafficked children and their repatriation. In the past, according to ICI, there were considerable capacity and absorption problems, as governmental and other structures lacked sufficient institutional ability to be able to handle more than modest infusions of resources. Those capacity problems are largely solved, and ICI will be able to substantially ramp up its activities. An industry representative, responding to the same question from Engel, ABIDJAN 00000056 004 OF 005 echoed ICI in saying a ramp-up in industry resource provision is now possible and expected. He also said that industry commits resources to the effort outside of the ICI framework, but acknowledged industry needs to be more transparent in its engagement. Senator Harkin asked if industry can better coordinate its efforts with those of the government, while Senator Sanders remarked that for multi-billion dollar companies, the resources committed to date are paltry. Industry's representative again acknowledged industry can and will do more. ¶14. (U) The International Organization of Migration representative discussed trafficking and reported that in late November 2007 in the western region around Guiglo, 21 trafficked children from Burkina Faso were intercepted by police trained by IOM. Those children were turned over to the proper authorities. Despite this and other successes, IOM said that problems remain. Specifically, the government must do more to provide services to "campements," often located far away from established, legally-recognized villages and which are home to large populations of non-indigenous ethnic groups and their unschooled children. Codel Meets Privately with Industry -------------- ¶15. (SBU) The delegation met local representatives from Cargill, ADM and Barry Callabout, as well as two representatives from the international cocoa industry group (GIG) at a small dinner hosted by the Ambassador. While quickly recognizing their companies and the industry as a whole can and must do more, industry representatives reported that their organizations are already active in individual, company-level child-labor sensitizing campaigns with their suppliers, but that they cannot, by law, engage in activities beyond those, such as monitoring and reinsertion. Industry representatives also said that heavy taxation, in addition to legal prohibitions on their direct engagement with cocoa farmers, results in markedly lower revenues per kilo for Ivorian farmers in comparison to their Ghanaian counterparts. Codel Meets with President Gbagbo -------------- ¶16. (SBU) The delegation met with President Laurent Gbagbo in the evening of January 8. Senator Harkin told the President that the delegation comes in friendship, in an effort to help Cote d'Ivoire extract children from slavery and abusive labor situations. Congressman Engel recalled the history of the Protocol, and underscored the responsibility of the American people and American chocolate industry to eradicate abusive child labor. Senator Sanders remarked that the growing consciousness of how and by whom products are made will inevitably lead to demands for assurances from the major cocoa processors that cocoa is produced using morally acceptable labor. ¶17. (SBU) President Gbagbo said unequivocally that the place for children is in school - not in factories, not on the farm, but in school. He related that his campaign in 2000 called for free school for all, and that the events of 2002 interrupted efforts to implement the concept. With a renewed mandate in the upcoming 2008 elections, the President said he would fulfill the promise. In 10 years, he opined, all children would be in school, from 6 to 16 or even 18 years of age. Turning to cocoa and child farm labor, President Gbagbo said the country has to replace the old traditions with new ones, ones more related to school, even for children intending to take up farming as a profession. ¶18. (SBU) Gbagbo proposed signing a new protocol on child labor in the cocoa sector, and noted that a draft was being prepared by his cabinet and staff. That protocol would extend beyond July 1, 2008, and include elements of greater collaboration under the rubric of the national plan as well as overall reform in the cocoa sector. President Gbagbo said that Ambassador Charles Koffi and Ambassador Nesbitt could work together as intermediaries with Senators and Congressmen involved in the issue to negotiate such an accord in the coming months. ¶19. (SBU) Senator Sanders asked President Gbagbo why cocoa ABIDJAN 00000056 005 OF 005 farmers in Ghana and elsewhere earn more per kilo than do Ivorian farmers. The President said candidly that the system put into place during the recent liberalization (which began in 1999 and continued through the beginning of his presidency in 2000) has not produced good results. Middlemen, according to the President, interfere too much in the relationship between international buyers/exporters and farmers, depressing the prices the latter receive. The more liberal "English" model seen in Ghana, according to the President, emphasizes the independence of co-operatives in negotiating prices, all to the benefit of individual farmers. Introducing elements of this more liberalized system could be part of the new Protocol, according to President Gbagbo. Congressman Engel and the rest of the delegation agreed this and other aspects of the child labor question could be part of the negotiations to be facilitated by the countries Ambassadors. Codel Visits Cocoa Farming Community of Kouamekro -------------- ¶20. (U) The delegation visited the region of Kouamekro on January 9. Meeting village leaders who represent different ethnic groups in the community, the delegation saw first hand how the lack of government schools, health care and access to potable water affects cocoa-growing communities and frustrates efforts to encourage schooling instead of cocoa farming among children. ICI showed its programs in action in the village, notably the school it has helped the community build, needed as the nearest government school is over 10 km away over a poorly maintained dirt road. (The visit was the subject of substantial press attention, and clips have been sent to the Department, the offices of the Congressional delegation and other interested agencies via unclassified email) ¶21. (SBU) Comment: The visit of Codel Engel provided the government an opportunity to showcase its efforts to implement the Harkin Engel Protocol, as well as make its case that it is ready for greater industry engagement, channeled through its national plan. Industry, for its part, indicated it can and will provide more assistance, and should be more transparent in its operations. The proposed new Protocol is an intriguing concept that encompasses elements of the child labor problem as well as the need for overall reform of the cocoa sector. Embassy Abidjan stands ready to facilitate continued dialogue on these questions. End Comment. Codel Engel has seen and approved this cable. AKUETTEH