COCOA AND CHILD LABOR: TULANE CONSULTATIVE MEETING

UNCLAS ACCRA 000933 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS PHUM, OVIP, PGOV, PREL, ELAB, GH, ILAB, IV SUBJECT: COCOA AND CHILD LABOR: TULANE CONSULTATIVE MEETING IN ACCRA REF: ACCRA 00154 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. Tulane University hosted in Accra July 15 the second annual consultative meeting on its research into child labor in the cocoa sector. The meeting was attended by Government of Ghana officials, led by Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare and other involved in the cocoa-child labor issue. Associate Deputy Undersecretary of Labor Lawrence Casey led the USG representatives. Deputy Minister Frema called for collaboration in eliminating the worst forms of child labor in the industry. Meeting participants constructively critiqued the Tulane research, in contrast to the 2007 meeting when Ghanaians expressed suspicion about the study and the need for Tulane's involvement. In a post-meeting discussion, The Deputy Minister requested an August retreat to explore ways to work together on both the study and the broader issue of remediation. The Tulane Study is a by-product of the Harkin-Engel Protocol on eliminating the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa industry. ¶2. (U). Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment Akousa Frema Osei-Opare, who leads the GOG efforts to combat child labor, opened the meeting by saying she thought that the involved parties were about to reach a more collaborative phase in the Tulane study process. She noted that it was important to review Tulane's work and for participants to offer constructive suggestions to improve the quality of the study. Associate Deputy Undersecretary Casey praised Deputy Minister Frema's leadership on this issue, citing the progress that Ghana was making on the issue of child labor in cocoa. Dr. William Bertrand, project leader and director of Tulane's Payson Center for International Development, stressed that no conclusions were to be drawn from the study, which is still in progress. He suggested that a technical working group be formed, including Ghanaian representatives, to participate in the review and analysis of the data. Participants engaged in constructive technical discussions about survey methodology, data collection and analysis. ¶3. (U). Associate Deputy Undersecretary Casey and staffers from the Department of Labor, along with POLOFF, used the days prior to the Tulane session to meet with Deputy Minister Frema and Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor G. Gyan-Baffour. Associate Deputy Casey shared a data set of Tulane's field research with Frema, responding to earlier Ghanaian criticism that data sharing was not timely. Casey also paid courtesy calls on Deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Charles Ntim, Ghana Trades Union Congress leaders, and International Cocoa Initiative representatives to learn about progress in remediation of child labor. Casey emphasized in each meeting the need to support efforts in remediation of child labor. ¶4. (U) On July 7 the Government unveiled its "Cocoa Labor Survey in Ghana" for 2007/2008. This report mirrors the Tulane study in scope and methodology. The GOG commissioned the survey as part of the implementation of its National Program for the Elimination of the Worst Frms of Child Labor in Cocoa. Both studies show similar trends regarding the role of children in the cocoa industry, The studies found, for example, that approximately 90% of children in the cocoa growing districts are attending school. (Note: The near simultaneous release of the reports allows for comparisons of methodology and preliminary findings, and to the extent that the research points to similar findings it will further help reduce Ghanaian suspicion of the Tulane process. End Note.) ¶5. (SBU). COMMENT. Led by Deputy Minister Frema, the tone of this year's consultative meeting showed a willingness to approach the issue constructively and with less suspicion than last year. It is notable that Frema has asked for an additional meeting with Tulane and others involved in order to improve collaboration and to begin planning for further phases. As recently as January, during CODEL Engel, Frema had referred to the Tulane study as "policing." Casey's emphasis on remediation appeared to be welcomed by the Ghanaians he met with and added to the constructive nature of the consultative meeting. Post believes that the meeting requested by Deputy Minister Frema not only offers an opportunity to support Tulane's work, but also is shows a greater willingness by the Ghanaians to participate--and potentially try to influence-- the Tulane process. BROWN