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VERITÉ Fair Labor. Worldwide.  
F A I R  H I R I N G  T O O L K I T  \  F O R  B R A N D S  
 
6. Multi-Brand & Multi-Stakeholder Engagement & Partnership 
 
 
Verité ©2011 All Rights Reserved 
Tool 2: Multi-Stakeholder Approaches to Tackling 
Forced Labor in West African Cocoa 
 
Following high-profile advocacy from civil society groups and several media reports alleging the use of child labor in cocoa 
production in West Africa, the international confectionary industry and the Governments of Ghana, Côte D’Ivoire (CDI) 
and the United States signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol in 2001. The Protocol committed industry groups to identifying 
and eliminating labor abuses in the cocoa industry supply chain. As part of this agreement, the International Cocoa 
Initiative (ICI) was established in 2002. 
 
The ICI is a multi-stakeholder initiative that includes both private industry (brands and cocoa processors) with civil society 
(trade unions and NGOs). The ICI’s Board of Directors includes industry representatives such as Kraft, Nestle, Mars and 
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) alongside anti-slavery and labor organizations such as Free the Slaves and the 
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The ICI works at the national, industry and community levels to 
strengthen each stakeholders work through awareness raising, policy advocacy, and capacity building. 
 
The results of the ICI since its founding have resulted in large scale outcomes from the original investment. For example, 
the ICI has held 7,000 community mobilization meetings, reaching out to over 250,000 community members and trained 
more than 1,600 involved citizens on forced labor and human trafficking. Further, it worked with local governments and 
communities to implement Community Action Plans designed to sustainably reduce to vulnerability of children to the worst 
forms of child labor.  
 
None of these tasks could have been accomplished by any one stakeholder working in isolation. The partnership 
approach allowed the brands involved to impact cocoa communities in a more meaningful, comprehensive way than a 
series of uncoordinated, possibly duplicated efforts, from individual companies.  
 
A multi-stakeholder approach also characterized the International Cocoa Verification Board (ICVB), which was convened 
by Verité in December 2007. This non-profit Board faced the task of overseeing the third party independent verification of 
data concerning the extent of forced and child labor in Ghana and CDI. Prior to the formation of the multi-stakeholder 
board, discussions around verification were characterized by conflict and heated debate. Bringing stakeholders from 
industry, civil society and government to the same table allowed for open and transparent engagement between all 
parties, and the Board successfully tackled complex issues in the verification process. Without this forum for dialogue, 
verification efforts may have been defeated by lack of communication. Instead, the Board succeeded in keeping the well-
being of cocoa farmers and their families at the forefront of all efforts. 
 
Groups such as the ICI and the ICVB played critical a role in advancing the goals of the Harkin Engel protocol, and paved 
the way for the follow-up 2010 Framework of Action, by bringing stakeholders together rather than maintaining the status 
quo of isolated stakeholders working in opposition.  
 
Further Resources:  
 http://www.verite.org/Commodities/Cocoa  
 http://www.cocoainitiative.org  
 
 
*Terms & Conditions of Use 


Case Studies in Multi-Stakeholder and Multi-Brand Engagement

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide.  Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.V_case_studies_in_multi_stakeholder_and_multibrand_engagement.pdf: 127 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

eCommons (Cornell Univ.)

Multi-Stakeholder and Multi-Brand Engagement

VERITÉ Fair Labor. Worldwide.  
F A I R  H I R I N G  T O O L K I T  \  F O R  B R A N D S  
 
6. Multi-Brand & Multi-Stakeholder Engagement & Partnership 
 
Tool 1: Encouraging Multi-Stakeholder and Multi-
Brand Engagement 
 
For brands that want to take action to protect migrant workers from broker-induced vulnerability to forced labor and human 
trafficking, in their own operations and across their supply chains, there is no shortage of potential for engagement. 
Brands are in a unique position to take effective action on many fronts, including policy development, internal capacity 
building and public policy advocacy.  
 
Brands that want to reach out and work in cooperation with other stakeholders to broaden their impact also have many 
options. These engagements can be flexible to the needs of the brand and the realities of the supply chain: for example, a 
bilateral partnership with a civil society group, or ongoing involvement in a multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI). Joint actions 
like multi-brand or multi-stakeholder partnerships amplify impact and create sustainable opportunities to combat some of 
the worst forms of abuse in global supply chains. As the UN Global Compact has noted, participating in a strong multi-
stakeholder initiative can be a means to develop a “broader, more comprehensive response to the problem of forced 
labor.”
 1
  
 
THE BENEFITS OF MULTI-STAKEHOLDER AND MULTI-BRAND ENGAGEMENT 
 
Engaged brands can do a lot in the fight against forced labor 
and human trafficking in their supply chains. But with limited 
resources, they can‟t do it all on their own. Multi-stakeholder 
and multi-brand engagements offer important opportunities 
for joint action in the fight against forced labor and human 
trafficking by offering brands:  
 An opportunity to learn from others about good 
practice and what works and what doesn‟t within a specific 
sector or across industries, to avoid reinventing the wheel; 
 A chance to gain more accurate information about 
conditions facing migrant workers within a particular country 
or region; 
 A forum for multi-brand or industry-wide training and 
capacity building; 
 A place to find solutions to complex challenges and 
issues; and 
 A collective platform from which to advocate for legal, 
policy or regulatory reform to improve social compliance 
dimensions of a given business environment (e.g., the 
strengthening of local law and public enforcement 
mechanisms).  
 Each brand‟s specific needs will be different. But 
through multi-stakeholder or multi-brand initiatives, brands 
can work towards addressing „big picture‟ issues like legal 
and regulatory requirements that can produce large impacts 
but are difficult to tackle without effective partnerships. 
 
                                                     
1
 See: http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/dilemmas/forced-labour/. 
Some Multi--Stakeholder and Multi--Brand 
Initiatives 
Better Cotton Initiative 
Business Social Compliance Initiative 
Business for Social Responsibility 
Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition 
End Human Trafficking Now! Campaign 
Ethical Trading Initiative  
Fair Labor Association 
Fair Wear Foundation 
Forest Stewardship Council 
Global Reporting Initiative 
Global Social Compliance Program 
Institute for Human Rights and Business  
International Confederation of Private Employment 
Agencies 
International Cocoa Initiative 
International Trade Union 
Confederation/Anti--‐Slavery International 
Kimberly Process 
Madison Dialogue 
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil 
Social Accountability International 
United Nations Global Compact  
United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human 
Trafficking 
See Tool 3 of this suite for descriptions of these 
initiatives.  
*Terms & Conditions of Use 
 
Verité ©2011 All Rights Reserved 
DIFFERENT FORMS OF ENGAGEMENT TO ADDRESS DIFFERENT NEEDS 
In considering joint action and the partnership approach, brands may choose to work with a variety of potential partners, 
including:  
 
 Other brands operating within the same or related industries; 
 Business or employers‟ organizations to which they hold membership; 
 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives; 
 Civil society groups such as human or labor rights organizations; 
 Trade unions; and/or 
 Public and governmental bodies, including international organizations. 
 
Action can be taken at a variety of levels: national or local levels, the communities of operation for the company, the 
global supply chain, or even the commodity base of a particular industry. Whatever the geographic scope of action, a 
collaborative approach allows a brand push beyond its boundaries to address issues and problems in a more systematic 
and comprehensive way. The following forms of action can benefit from a multi-brand or multi-stakeholder approach: 
 
 Code of conduct and corporate policy development; 
 Internal and supply chain awareness raising and capacity building; 
 Policy implementation, assessment and compliance monitoring; 
 Transparency and communications campaigns; 
 Corrective and preventive action programs; 
 Public policy advocacy; and 
 Community-based engagement and public awareness campaigns. 
 
PARTNERSHIPS IN PRACTICE 
Brands have many options available to them in selecting other business or multi-stakeholder partnerships and programs. 
Examining existing partnerships can help brands envision their own initiatives. For example:  
 
 Microsoft has worked closely with the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) and the 
End Human Trafficking Now! (EHTN) Campaign to elaborate an eLearning tool for business on combating human 
trafficking. 
 Manpower Group was the first company to sign the Athens Ethical Principles of the EHTN! Campaign, which declare 
a “zero tolerance” policy to working with any entity that benefits from human trafficking. The company has also worked 
with the International Organization for Migration to combat human trafficking in Colombia by providing skills training 
and employment opportunities to internally displaced persons, primarily women and young people. 
 In partnership with the International Labor Organization, the US Council for International Business and the US 
Chamber of Commerce, the Coca Cola Company hosted a multi-stakeholder conference at its US headquarters in 
Atlanta on engaging business and addressing forced labor. This conference brought together 80 representatives of 
companies, employers‟ organizations, officials from the US Departments of Labor and State, the ILO and civil society 
groups to share knowledge and experiences in combating forced labor. 
 
 
Verité ©2011 All Rights Reserved 
For a more in-depth look at multi-brand and multi-stakeholder engagement against forced labor, see the Case Studies in 
this section of the Toolkit. 
 
Related Tools: Case Studies in Multi-Stakeholder and Multi-Brand Engagement 
In Focus 
Forced Labor and Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives 
A growing number of multi-brand and multi-stakeholder initiatives are addressing a combination of labor, human 
rights, and environmental standards in a variety of industries; but trafficking and forced labor issues may be only 
a relatively small item on these initiatives’ agendas.  


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Multi-Stakeholder and Multi-Brand Engagement

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