Briefing for civil society on
UNCTAD's Technical Cooperation Activities
Held on 17 September 2008
Palais des Nations, Room XXVI,
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
The new Sustainability Claims Portal
by
Mr. Djidiack Faye
Economist Affairs Officer,
Special Unit on Commodities
« All EU-ACP Programme on Commodities »
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
OF THE SUSTAINABILITY CLAIMS PORTAL (SCP)
Djidiack Faye, Economic Affairs Officer
Special Unit on Commodities
(SUC) - UNCTAD
Definition:
«Sustainability claims » are defined as distinctive
signs or labels borne by products according to
which their supply chains from production to
consumption comply with sustainable
agricultural practices;
« Sustainability claims » include fair-trade,
organic standards, GlobalGap,
environmental/Ecological Standards, labour
conditions, CSR, geographical indications, etc.
Scope:
Three main clusters delimit the scope of sustainability claims:
(i) Economic sustainability (equal access to basic needs, fair-trade
and better incomes for disadvantaged workers and producers,
business, quality, traceability, hygienic production and handling as
well as training);
(ii) Environmental sustainability (environmental protection, GAP,
organic production, soil and water protection pollution reduction,
transport, and housing);
(iii) Social sustainability (health and safety, human rights in the
workplace, including child labour and forced labour, community
development, social services, and corporate social responsibility).
Objectives:
Create a SCP in order to generate useful discussions on
sustainability claims, with a view of promoting sustainability
enhancing accountability, increasing transparency on trade in
agricultural commodities marketed under sustainability claims;
Define requirements for organic production, fair-trade, environmental
and social accountability schemes.
Provide ACP producers and EU consumers with:
a central access point to existing sustainability schemes
a clear presentation of relevant minimum requirements to small
producers and cooperatives by filling the gaps among current
sectoral programs.
Implementation Strategy
The SCP should fulfill three distinct communication functions:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
For consumers: Sustainability claims substantiation;
For importers, retailers, manufacturers: Sourcing platform; and
For Producers and ACP countries: Operational guidance.
Implementation Strategy: Participation of NGOs
Brussels’ Consultation 16-17 April 2008
47 NGOs attended the consultation to discuss the SCP; and
Ways and means to offer user-friendly entry points for the principal targeted
users: ACP producers, manufacturers, EU importers/retailers and
consumers
After the consultation, discussions among NGOs continued through
the newly established « wiki page » (discussion forum on-line:
www.unctad.org/SCP)
The contents of the SCP:
(i) Introduction to sustainability claims highlighting their importance and
benefits;
(ii) Definition and minimum requirements of sustainability criteria applicable for
specific products seeking certification and compliance with sustainability
claims;
(iii) Reference to relevant legislation through links and extracts;
(iv) Reference to existing schemes and their common denominator
Implementation Strategy: Participation of NGOs
(v) Listing of approved producers and availability of certified
products in the EU market;
(vi) Operational guidelines for sustainable agriculture,
packing and food processing as well as standard
operating procedures for verification/inspection,
certification and labelling of defined product categories
(vii) Listing of accredited certification companies and
available training and support bodies;
(viii) Self-assessment questionnaires for producers; and
(ix) Equuivalency principles applicable for ACP producers
Implementation Strategy: Participation of NGOs
Management Process
(a) Steering Committee (15 members)
(i) UNCTAD secretariat– 1 chairing
(ii) EC-DGDV-1
(iii) ACP producers-3
(IV) EU consumers-2
(v) Retailers-4
(vi) Sustainability claims-3 (fair-trade/social, organic and GlobalGap)
(b) Peer Review: Three independent Experts to:
review each cluster of the sustainability claims
Implementation Strategy:Participation of NGOs
Field activities:
Capacity building concerning sustainability claims
(i) Launching of the SCP planned for April 2009;
(ii) Regional Workshops (Pacific, Caribbean, Central and West
Africa; East and Southern Africa);
(iii) Needs assessment survey on sustainability claims to improve
market entry for ACP smallholder farmers; and
(iv) Establish local SCP for regional focal points.
Thank you