Month: December 2020

During the September 2020 General Assembly, GPSNR members voted to allow the Executive Committee to move forward with designing and implementing a Grievance Mechanism, as outlined in a revision to the statutes. The GPSNR Grievance Mechanism is a non-legal system established for stakeholders to express concerns they have about a GPSNR member or the GPSNR Secretariat and find optimal ways to resolve disputes. This Mechanism is distinct from the Grievance Mechanisms that ordinary company members are required to establish and maintain, and should be used in the event that the company’s mechanism has not successfully resolved the complaints raised. 

Full details of the proposed GPSNR Grievance Mechanism and a list of related Frequently Asked Questions can be downloaded at the following links:

Proposed Grievance Mechanism Process

Grievance Mechanism FAQ

Membership Survey

GPSNR members are invited to comment on the proposed Grievance Mechanism by providing their responses via a survey. The survey will be open until 29 January 2021, after which the results will be compiled and reviewed.

Click here to submit your comments on the proposed Grievance Mechanism

Members Webinar

There will be an informational webinar on 14 January 2021 at 8pm (Singapore time) during which the members developing the Grievance Mechanism will share more details about the mechanism and conduct a Q&A session.

Click here to register for the webinar.

The Policy Framework was approved and adopted via a membership vote at the 2nd GPSNR General Assembly on 23 September. As part of the resolution, companies were given 6 months to align their public policies to include all the components of GPSNR’s Policy Framework, with the possibility of two extensions if evidence of progress is shown. Based on this timeline, companies will have until 23 March 2021 to submit their public policies for evaluation by GPSNR’s Compliance Panel. Full instructions on how companies should submit their public policies and other public documents will be provided in early 2021. 

The Self Assessment Form is a tool designed to help companies evaluate and track the degree of alignment between their public policies and other public documents and GPSNR’s Policy Framework. Conducting a self-assessment using this form does not constitute GPSNR approval of a company’s policies, and companies should avoid making public claims about approval of the policies before final assessment by GPSNR. Compliance with this requirement can only be confirmed by the GPSNR Compliance Panel and this will only be possible after member companies submit to GPSNR their policies or other public documents that reflect conformance with GPSNR’s Policy Framework in March 2021.

A summary timeline of the company policy approval process is depicted below:

Compliance Panel

In early 2021, the Policy Toolbox and Implementation Guidance Working Group will share the terms of reference for the three members of the Compliance Panel. GPSNR members will then be invited to nominate individuals to serve on the Compliance Panel. An Extra-ordinary General Assembly will be called in February 2021 for GPSNR members to vote on the candidates and three candidates will be voted to form the Compliance Panel. The panel will then assess the policies submitted by GPSNR member companies and determine if they are in compliance with GPSNR’s Policy Framework. More details on this will be shared with members once they are available.

Click here to download the GPSNR Company Self Assessment Form

GPSNR Members Webinar: Recording and Slide Deck

GPSNR members who missed the Executive Committee and Working Groups Update webinar that was held on 2 December can view the recording of the webinar or download the slide deck for reference.

View webinar recording or download slide deck

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

The Working Group has received several bids in response to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a study on environmental impacts, and risks, in the natural rubber value chain that was published in November. The Working Group has shortlisted three candidates and, as part of the evaluation process, will be conducting with these candidates in January 2021 before awarding the bid to the successful candidate. 

The Working Group is also starting on the Theory of Change document update, an exercise which will involve all other Working Groups. This will take place in January 2021. The Equity sub-Group is preparing summary documents for the living income studies and is planning to present the studies to GPSNR members in early 2021.

‘Policy Toolbox’ Working Group

The Working Group has finalized the Baseline Reporting Requirements and these will go to the Executive Committee for review. The Working Group is also developing a Request for Proposal for a consultant to work on the implementation guidance and reporting requirements.

‘Capacity Building’ Working Group

Since the last update, the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Task Force has had their first kickoff call and is beginning the work to identify and/or refine guiding principles for GAPs appropriate for the sustainable production of natural rubber.

The Working Group is also engaging the Executive Committee on their comments regarding the proposed capacity building strategies for four focus countries.

‘Traceability and Transparency’ Working Group

In early December, the Working Group onboarded smallholders from Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire into the group, with the smallholders participating in their first meeting on 10 December. 

Aside from reviewing the Working Group’s Terms of Reference (ToR) and its objectives moving forward, the Working Group will also be starting to develop recommendations for members on traceability and transparency tools in early 2021.

Smallholder Representation Working Group

The revised ToR for the Working Group is undergoing a final review, following which it will be sent to the Executive Committee for approval. 

The Working Group has also formalised a document that defines the role and key tasks of a Country Champion. So far, Country Champions have been actively involved in organizing and arranging national calls, supporting smallholder engagement, and providing technical and linguistic assistance.   

As part of the Working Group’s revamp, it will be undergoing a membership refresh. Part of this will also involve smallholders being onboarded into the Working Group in 2021.  The Working Group is also looking into onboarding smallholders from Cambodia. Any GPSNR members who have operations in Cambodia or partners working in Cambodia who can help to identify potential smallholders for an onboarding workshop are welcome to reach out to the Working Group’s Co-Chairs, Ulrich Antoni and Julian Oram.