GPSNR Working Groups Update: April 2024

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Strategy and Objectives Working Group: Feedback on the Assurance model resolution has closed, and the finalised version of the resolution will be released shortly, along with other voting materials. The agenda for the in-person meetings has been released, and discussions will focus on further developing the assurance model. Members will now vote on the assurance model resolution at the Extraordinary General Assembly. Members are encouraged to participate in the in-person meetings and provide input on the assurance model content.

 

Smallholders Representation and Capacity Building (SCB) Working Group: A consultation call was held with smallholder members to discuss resolutions for the upcoming Extraordinary General Assembly. Instructional videos have been developed to aid smallholders in effectively using Zoom. All projects are progressing as planned, and we continue to oversee all ongoing projects.

Currently, the Income Diversification and Rubber Agroforestry Taskforce is actively preparing for a rubber agroforestry workshop in Liberia, planned for May 2024. Additionally, the project proposal template has been finalised, and we will soon issue a call for proposals to both members and the public. Once submitted, these proposals will be added to our project library for member review and potential funding.


Shared Responsibility Working Group: The Value Transfer Group has held subsequent meetings to discuss the value transfer proposal. The group continues to meet to refine this proposal, which will be presented at the in-person meetings in June. After the in-person meeting, the group hopes to run a pilot to test the proposal in the field.

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Preparing Smallholders for their Role in GPSNR

Following the announcement that the GPSNR General Assembly (GA) will take place in September, the Smallholders Representation Group has quickly adapted its plans around onboarding smallholder members prior to the GA. With restrictions around COVID-19 necessitating a virtual format for the GA, likewise the sessions involving smallholders would follow suit.

The onboarding will be conducted via a series of national and international calls starting from late July until the end of September. There will be a total of 3 calls amongst smallholders at the national level, and another 3 calls at the international level. 

The first national calls have already been conducted for all seven countries: Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. During this first call, the smallholders were introduced to the video conference platform with a quick tutorial on its functions. Next, they were given an update on developments and projects within GPSNR before learning more about the upcoming GA, including the onboarding schedule, the process for Executive Committee elections and an overview of the resolutions. 

The Country Champions are providing immense support through coordination of the calls, conducting the calls in the local language and in some cases reaching out to the smallholders individually to help them overcome the barriers of using new technology.

The Working Group will be engaging an experienced facilitator who will be able to foster relationships as well as trigger and encourage discussion amongst the smallholders  in an international and multilingual setting. A Request for Proposal was posted on the GPSNR website and social media channels, and the Secretariat is supporting the Working Group in finalizing the selection of proposals.  

The next national call will see smallholders sharing about themselves and their work in natural rubber production, an activity designed to assist them each in articulating their thoughts and vision as potential election candidates for the Executive Committee.

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Secretariat Update – February 2020

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.

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