Category: News

In discussing the proposed member requirements and reporting requirements, the Policy Toolbox Working Group has touched frequently upon the topics of High Conservation Value (HCV), no deforestation, no conversion of non-forested ecosystem, and other issues around developments on post-disturbance vegetation/ land cover. 

To establish a common understanding about HCVs, the High Conservation Value Resource Network (HCVRN) Secretariat took the initiative to organize a video presentation to the Working Group members on the HCV Approach. The presentation touched on governance and historical aspects of the HCV Approach, and its implementation in forest and non-forest ecosystems in the landscape, concession and smallholder contexts.

(GPSNR Members may view the presentation and download the slide deck by logging in to the website and accessing the Members Version of this article.) 

As the mid-year mark approaches, our Working Groups continue to make progress in their respective areas of focus. In spite of the setbacks brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, group calls and discussions remain as scheduled, with every intention to have deliverables ready for approval or presentation at the General Assembly 2020.

Final text for the proposed policy components and baseline reporting requirements, developed by the Policy Toolbox Working Group, have been proposed. The documents are being circulated for approval within the Working Group before being submitted to the Executive Committee. A pilot testing phase for the reporting requirements will be launched shortly after. More details on this will be released soon.

Along with the finalization of the Terms of References for the two pilot proposals, the Traceability and Transparency Working Group is also developing a budget and timeline for these pilot proposals, to be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval.   

While there have been efforts between Working Groups revolving around calibration and aligning, the importance of alignment with all Working Groups is increasingly being recognized as important. Moving forward, the Strategy and Objectives Working Group will undertake a more coordinating role. This will see a Platform-wide effort to directly engage and align with the other Working Groups  to better bring forward their strategies into the Theory of Change, understand their project plans and how to interact, and bring together input from all the Working Groups to support the development of Platform Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Within the Strategy and Objectives Working Group itself, work on filling out the Theory of Change continues. The Working Group is also liaising closely with consultant James Griffiths on his study on social risks following the presentation of a first draft to the Working Group for review.

The regional sub-Groups of the Capacity Building Working Group continue to advance discussions on developing country-specific capacity building goals and strategies for Indonesia, Thailand, Côte d’Ivoire and Myanmar. 

The sub-Groups have made progress in identifying three issues of priority per country. Focusing on these issues, the sub-Groups have pinpointed the drivers or causes of these issues, as well as developed priority actions to address them. Having already established who the existing stakeholders conducting on-the-ground capacity building projects are, the next step is to approach identified local agencies to discuss possible collaboration and partnership. 

The Capacity Building Working Group is developing a budget estimate that would provide a more comprehensive overview of the resources involved in carrying out the planned capacity building initiatives.

The members of the Working Group recognize the importance of involving smallholders and government agencies in the process of developing these capacity building plans, and are working towards engaging these parties in the discussion.

Meanwhile, the Smallholders Representation Working Group continues to finetune the onboarding programme for smallholders prior to the General Assembly 2020. A sub-Group has also been formed to consider the issue of financial support for smallholder participation at subsequent General Assembly meetings. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the entire natural rubber supply chain. It has triggered car and tire manufacturing companies to operate with a reduced workforce, or temporarily halt production plants altogether. Strict lockdown measures have caused a drastic fall in the sales of consumer tires across Europe. Global demand for natural rubber has dropped, the effects of which will be felt by the 6 million natural rubber smallholders in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Many smallholders live in poverty, depending on daily wages to feed their families. Their situations will only be exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. Already, the Association of Producers and Processing Plants of the State of São Paulo (APABOR) has estimated that for Brazil alone, the subsistence of around 100,000 natural rubber farmers and their direct relatives is at risk.

While COVID-19 exposes the vulnerabilities of smallholders, it also reveals the potential they have to be agents of change and drivers of transformation. The pandemic has reminded us of the connections between human health, resilient landscapes, economic stability and livelihoods; the post COVID-19 world is more likely to devote greater attention to tackling environmental, social and economic impacts of its many supply chains. Smallholders, who produce 85% of the world’s natural rubber supply, are thus key to advancing GPSNR’s vision of a fair, equitable and environmentally sound rubber value chain.

One of GPSNR’s major outcomes for this year has been welcoming our new smallholder members. As of today, a total of 27 smallholder members (with additions from Myanmar) have joined GPSNR. The inclusion of smallholders into the fabric of the Platform provides them the opportunity to drive the agenda for sustainable natural rubber and, in the long-term, realize the social, economic and environmental benefits that sustainability brings. 

We encourage GPSNR members to communicate this outcome through the communication channels of their respective organizations. To this end, we launched a quarterly Members’ Communication Toolkit which outlines the suggested key message and provides ready-to-use content for communicating the message. GPSNR Members may access the Members’ Communication Toolkit for Q2 2020 in the GPSNR Forum.  

More is being done to fully include these smallholders in the Working Groups and Executive Committee. The Smallholders Representation Working Group continues with its efforts in designing a programme for onboarding smallholders prior to the General Assembly. In the meantime, some of our new smallholder members are already actively involved in Working Group discussions. Additionally, having recognized the urgency to address the impacts of COVID-19 on smallholders, the Equity sub-Working Group is developing a position paper on the issue.

What are the challenges that prevent the production of sustainable natural rubber in rubber-producing countries, and why do they exist?

What initiatives can be taken, and by whom, to effectively overcome these challenges?

How can GPSNR best support the natural rubber sector in becoming more sustainable?

In setting out to find the answers to these questions, the Capacity Building Working Group has established four regional sub-Working Groups to focus on developing country-specific capacity building goals and strategies for the following countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Côte d’Ivoire and Myanmar. 

Since the first week of April, the regional sub-Groups have been holding weekly calls to get their respective projects started. Their first order of business? Identify the main challenges preventing the adoption of sustainable natural rubber practices within their countries of focus. Already, some commonalities have been revealed: the lack of implementation of best agricultural practices and poor diversification of farmers’ income. While challenges may be similar across the countries, proposed initiatives may differ due to a variety of factors such as technology and infrastructure, culture, degree of (or lack of) government support. The role that GPSNR can play in supporting these strategies would also depend on the particular conditions within each country.  

The sub-Groups are currently working on prioritizing the identified challenges to capacity building, and will be linking expected outcomes to the components of the GPSNR Desired State.

Roland Baroan is the first GPSNR smallholder member to take part in a Working Group discussion. A rubber farmer with 37 hectares of land and current President of the Association of Natural Rubber Producers of Côte d’Ivoire (APROCANCI), Roland lends his local expertise and knowledge to the Côte d’Ivoire regional sub-Group. Smallholders from the other countries of focus will also be involved via a consultation process.

While we hope to see more smallholders participating in and contributing to the work of GPSNR, we must also ensure that the right support systems are in place for them to effectively connect and communicate with all members. To this end, the Smallholders Representation Working Group is finetuning a proposed programme to onboard our smallholder members. The Working Group is also discussing a suitable funding mechanism for future smallholder participation in GPSNR.

By laying the groundwork for smallholder inclusivity, we can support the natural rubber value chain in its efforts to become more sustainable, and thus more resilient to global catastrophes.

Many are calling these “unprecedented times”, and undeniably so. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world many firsts – from the closing of international borders to country-wide lockdowns and quarantines, and extreme social distancing measures applied to everyday activities such as exercising and grocery shopping. In this sense, many of the impacts of COVID-19 have been unprecedented. 

‘Unprecedented’, however, does not necessarily translate into ‘unexpected’. This is especially true for a significant link of the natural rubber value chain: the millions of smallholders and farm workers that supply the world with around 85% of its natural rubber. These smallholders, seasonal workers and their families are some of the most vulnerable people within the natural rubber sector, living in poverty and without adequate access to social services. Poor diversification of farmers’ incomes means that farmers are solely dependent on tapping rubber trees to make a living. When a pandemic occurs and global demand for natural rubber falls, it comes as no surprise that smallholders are the hardest hit. 

The Equity sub-Working Group was formed to look into the issue of equity in the natural rubber value chain and to define what GPSNR’s role will be in promoting equity along the supply chain. It is chaired by Robert Meyer (Halcyon Agri) and co-chaired by Hendrike Braun-Issa (GIZ). The sub-Group has, in its first few calls, recognized the importance of addressing the impact that COVID-19 has on the supply chain, in particular the natural rubber smallholders. In view of this, discussions have been centered around producing a set of short-term recommendations to counter the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. These recommendations are particularly aimed at supporting small-scale natural rubber farmers and their families.

The International Rubber Study Group (IRSG), represented by Secretary-General Salvatore Pinizzotto, is also participating in the sub-Group discussions to provide advice in the area of cooperation with Governments. 

Along with the short-term recommendations, the sub-Group is also looking at long-term efforts to address the underlying systemic issues, and are carrying out a study to inform the Platform on the subjects of Living Wage and Living Income.

Improving the capacity and livelihoods of smallholders is just one of the strategies undertaken by GPSNR. It is equally important for the other players in the industry to advance GPSNR’s vision of a sustainable natural rubber value chain. The Policy Toolbox Working Group continues to finalize the proposed member policy requirements and reporting requirements, with consultation from all member categories. Meanwhile, the Traceability and Transparency Working Group is focused on acquiring a better understanding of tools to achieve greater traceability and transparency within supply chains. Both groups will be aligning on key issues such as supply chain risk assessment.

In driving forward the progress on the Theory of Change (ToC) and Desired State, the Chairs of the Strategy and Objectives Working Group are expected to lead discussions with the other Working Group Chairs. These discussions will focus on mapping the areas of work currently undertaken by the respective groups to the relevant sections of the ToC. Pulling together the detailed thinking within each group will enable the Working Group to flesh out the elements of each strategy and the linkage between each individual component. To package the ToC in a more user-friendly format, the Secretariat has developed a visual representation of the ToC, which gives a broad overview of the concept while allowing for a deeper dive into the details. The Working Group has reviewed the first draft of this document, and will be working with the Secretariat to finetune it. 

Following the initial survey that had gone out, consultant James Griffiths has started interviewing stakeholders on social risks priorities and mitigation solutions as part of the study on Human Rights and Labour Rights’ risk mapping in the global natural rubber value chain. 

The Equity sub-Group had their inaugural meeting this week. The members of the group agreed on the need to work with urgency and consider the approach of having a different work plan, one which would enable a move towards recommendations on a rapid basis. The importance of engaging governments was also highlighted in the discussion. The sub-Group will be meeting again next week to continue the conversation on equity.  

‘Policy Toolbox’ Working Group

The policy components and baseline reporting requirements are being circulated for comments among the various membership categories. The Producers, Processors and Traders had a teleconference organized by Socfin and Southland Global, and will also be collecting comments via email. The Tire Makers are submitting their inputs through an online survey and emails. The OEM members have also discussed the documents in a call and have consolidated their comments. Civil Society Organization members are engaged in discussions on these elements as well. The Working Group anticipates that it will be able to submit the deliverables to the Executive Committee for approval in May.

‘Capacity Building’ Working Group

In recognition of the need to prioritize an inclusive and pragmatic approach towards capacity building, the Working Group has decided to establish several regional sub-Working Groups, each of which will be responsible for developing country-specific capacity building objectives. The Working Group is exploring getting smallholders involved in some of these regional sub-Working Groups, which would be the first instance of smallholder participation at the working group level, and would be informative in the ongoing discussions on ways to integrate smallholders into the activities of GPSNR. The terms of reference for the regional sub-Working Groups are in the process of being finalised. 

The Working Group hopes to achieve greater alignment with the Theory of Change (ToC) developed by the Strategy and Objectives Working Group, through the establishment of ToCs at the working group and sub-working group level. This would allow each working group to contribute to the design of GPSNR’s ToC, with the aim to achieve the Desired State. Working groups can delve into more precise levels of identifying capacity building objectives and developing implementation plans to address the gaps in various target groups within a specific country.

‘Traceability and Transparency’ Working Group

After consulting with the Policy Toolbox Working Group on areas of risk, the finalized terms of reference for the two pilot proposals are being circulated for final feedback within the Traceability and Transparency Working Group.

The pilot study on satellite mapping and machine learning aims to make use of historical and current data and new technology to determine the risk of potential deforestation, along with other social and environmental risks that are the result of deforestation.

The traceability and transparency tool comparison study will assess, among others, the ability of the tool to identify risk and/or contribute to a risk assessment in the social, environmental and legal categories. 

The proposals will be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval in April. Moving forward, the Traceability and Transparency and Policy Toolbox Working Groups will work closely together on understanding risks in the natural rubber supply chain..

The appointed Country Champions have been in contact with the smallholders to ensure a good understanding of GPSNR through familiarization with the Statutes and Code of Conduct. These socialization efforts were carried out by means of teleconferencing, some taking place with the aid of interpreters. To complement these preliminary engagement sessions, the Working Group is creating a customised programme for the smallholders prior to this year’s General Assembly. It is important for the smallholders to meet face-to-face and have the chance to get to know each other, considering that some of them have never stepped foot outside their own country. As they will have to decide who will represent them in the Executive Committee if the new ‘Smallholder Producers’ membership category is approved, interaction with each other is imperative for them to make informed decisions.  

The sub-Group specially formed to focus on this issue has proposed a first draft of the programme, which was discussed at the recent Working Group meeting. At the moment, the programme includes sessions for the smallholders to learn more about each other, about GPSNR and the impact of their votes. They will also guide the smallholders in identifying their priorities and needs, and include sharing from GPSNR members in the other categories, so that smallholders can better understand how they can be effective members and work with others at both Working Group and Executive Committee levels. Aside from these proposed sessions, a half-day field trip is also being considered as a socio-cultural component. 

Looking towards the future, the Working Group is having ongoing discussions on how best to integrate smallholders into the various Working Groups. The language barrier has been identified as a key issue to address in order to achieve full inclusivity of smallholders. .

Dear Members,

Since our last update to you, the COVID-19 situation has escalated into a global pandemic, with Europe and the US some of the hardest hit areas. The implications for us as a multi-stakeholder platform, are many. Today, I am taking the opportunity to update you on how we have addressed the issues within our control.

Secretariat Operations
For the health and welfare of our staff, we have instituted a work from home recommendation. We are also complying with the local government travel advisory to defer all non-essential travel. Rest assured that these measures will have minimal disruption to the operations of the Secretariat, and we remain only an email or a teleconference call away.

Working Groups
All our Working Groups remain active and continue to make progress in their respective areas of focus despite the situation. They are taking the extra time to enhance their deliverables, and I am confident that we will have many sound proposals and resolutions to consider and approve as a Platform. I encourage you to read the updates on the News and Publications page of our website, so that you are aware of the achievements to date of our Strategy & Objectives and Smallholders Representation Working Groups.

General Assembly
The severity of this pandemic has caused inevitable delays to our 2nd General Assembly (GA). As the safety and wellbeing of our members is our utmost priority, we will not be able to hold the GA within the first half of the year as we had anticipated. Nevertheless, the Executive Committee is in ongoing discussions on plans for the GA, and, where necessary, will assist all Working Groups to finetune their proposals to ensure a smooth and productive GA. 

Finally, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued contribution and teamwork even in these trying times. I also appreciate your understanding and patience as we decide on the best way forward for the Platform in these unprecedented times. 

Our thoughts are with the natural rubber farmers and producers, and their families, whose livelihoods are being mostly impacted by COVID-19. To those whose family, friends or co-workers have been directly affected by the virus, our thoughts go out to you.

I urge you all to stay safe, stay vigilant, and stay positive.

All my support,

Stefano Savi
Director

On Friday 7 February, Singapore announced that it was stepping up its risk assessment level. Previously at ‘Yellow’ on the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) scale, the country is now at ‘Orange’. This change triggered additional precautionary measures such as an advice to cancel or defer all non-essential large-scale events. More countries are also putting in place such measures, from enforced quarantine for certain travelers to outright travel restrictions.

The safety and comfort of all members remains our utmost priority. The Secretariat will continue to monitor the situation closely, with the intention to hold the General Assembly once it becomes more stable. The new date for the General Assembly will be in 2020, and will be communicated with due notice to all members. 

During this time, all Working Groups will continue to advance their work in establishing a policy toolbox, shaping capacity building initiatives, achieving transparency and traceability, and solidifying smallholder inclusivity in GPSNR. 

The GPSNR Executive Committee has agreed to extend the deadline for submission of General Assembly resolutions and Executive Committee nominations to Tuesday, 31 March 2020.

For the latest updates on the progress of our Working Groups, please refer to the News and Publications section of our website.