Capacity Building for Natural Rubber Smallholders

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

Further to the receipt of several submissions in response to the Environmental Risk Study request for Proposals, the Strategy and Objectives Working Group has now  selected the Proforest team, together with consultant Liza Murphy, to conduct the environmental risk study. The team will be reaching out to GPSNR members to have initial scoping conversations in support of the study.

The Equity Sub-Working Group has drafted a summary for the Living Income studies undertaken in Thailand and Indonesia next year. Pending approval from the Sub-Working Group and S&O Working Group Members, the summary will be released to all GPSNR members and a webinar will be held to present the responses.

Representatives from each of the platform’s other Working Groups have started to draft their Working Group’s Theory of Change. At the end of the month, the Strategy and Objectives Working Group will consolidate this information and develop a platform-wide Theory of Change.

‘Policy Toolbox’ Working Group

The Policy Toolbox Working group has received initial proposals for the development of Implementation Guidance request for proposals (RFP) and will be meeting to discuss and select a proposal.

The Working Group will be setting up focus groups for category members to participate in the development of the implementation guidance. The call to join will be in the newsletter and also in the other article to be published.

In the next weeks, the Working Group will also be developing a new RFP for a consultant to help refine the reporting requirements based on the BRR pilot done last year. The consultant will work to bring the questions into alignment with other reporting systems (e.g. CDP and Ecovadis) and ensure that the questions are phrased in a suitable manner.

‘Capacity Building’ Working Group

The Capacity Building Working Group conducted a webinar to share about the national CB strategies and recruit members to the national sub-groups.

‘Traceability and Transparency’ Working Group

The ‘Traceability and Transparency’ Working Group has now set up 3 sub-groups that will focus on different tasks: refining the WG theory of change, developing a definition of traceability and minimum acceptable levels of traceability, and developing a data collection process with Policy Toolbox Working Group members.

Smallholder Representation Working Group

The Smallholder Representation Working Group has completed logistical organization of the Smallholders caucus call, that will happen tomorrow, 25th February. The caucus call will allow sharing and collaboration among smallholders across national lines.

All GPSNR working groups have a large chunk of work ahead of them. Here are all their updates: 

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

The group has made good progress by establishing the new risk task force that will evaluate the exact scope of GPSNR’s risk based approach. It has also got its new Terms of Reference approved by the Executive Committee, and is now working on contracting a consultant for the Economic Risk Study and conducting a gap analysis of GPSNR’s current activities based on the platform’s Theory of Change.

Smallholder Representation Working Group

Having published the RFP to develop the GPSNR Smallholders Policy Framework equivalent, the group is focussing on the first Smallholders International Call of the year in March 2022, workshops in Liberia and Malaysia, and on developing country-specific smallholder engagement activities with smallholders and Country Champions.

Policy Toolbox Working Group

This group is continuing discussions among its three new subgroups: Transparent reporting roadmap, Implementation Guidance and RR Guidance & Tools. In the coming months, they will finalize guidance for the reporting requirements and share it with companies

At the same time, they are working with the smallholder representation working group on the Smallholder Policy Framework equivalent.

Capacity Building Working Group

After publishing the GAPs as living documents in English and Bahasa and selecting SNV-Proforest and Koltiva as consultants to work on the GAPs coaching in Indonesia, the working group continues to develop capacity building plans for Indonesia, Thailand and Ivory Coast.

They are also seeking your inputs for GPSNR’s knowledge sharing platform, which you can provide here.

Traceability and Transparency Working Group

Having finalized the traceability and transparency primer, the WG will wind down its operations.

Shared Responsibility Working Group

The Shared Responsibility has completed a review of the Shared Responsibility Framework, incorporating feedback from the Executive Committee. The Working Group will present an updated proposal to the EC as the next step, with a view to prepare a resolution at the 2022 General Assembly.