GPSNR Working Groups Update: August 2024

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Strategy and Objectives Working Group: Hubert has completed his updates to the Assurance Model documents, which are now being consulted with the membership through the Assurance Model Task Force. Members should provide written feedback through the feedback form, and those who wish to be more actively involved in finalising these documents are encouraged to write to the Secretariat to join the Task Force. Additionally, a webinar will be conducted to share these updates and initiate further feedback from the membership. To register for the webinar, click here.

Smallholders Representation and Capacity Building (SCB) Working Group: The following projects have been endorsed by SCB WG members: the Indonesia GAP Coaching (Phase 1) by Koltiva, and the Income Diversification and Rubber Agroforestry Project by Dr. Eric (CIRAD) and Dr. Maria. Continued oversight of ongoing projects, including the Indonesia GAP Coaching Project (Phase 2), is being maintained. Koltiva has submitted a mid-term report, with SCB WG members requested to review and provide feedback by 26 August 2024.

Goodyear has expressed interest in extending the Indonesia GAP Coaching Project into Phase 3, with Koltiva’s proposal currently under review by the funder and the Secretariat planning to circulate it to SCB WG members for review once finalised. The Knowledge Sharing Platform is on track, with Koltiva scheduled to deliver the outcomes by 20 August 2024 and a presentation to the SCB WG on 22 August 2024. The Thailand Agroforestry Project is proceeding smoothly, with the contract for an additional project to develop a local marketing system being finalised with RAFS. Additionally, the resolution on the Shared Investment Mechanism (SIM) was approved during the EGA in July 2024, and the Secretariat is facilitating the creation of a Project Management Sub-group within the SCB WG, which will be responsible for reviewing and monitoring projects under the SIM. The Terms of Reference (TORs) for this sub-group have been drafted and are pending approval from the GPSNR Executive Committee.

Shared Responsibility Working Group: The Shared Investment Mechanism has been approved by the General Assembly following the July Extraordinary General Assembly vote. The Secretariat will work on establishing the Shared Investment Mechanism and operationalising all aspects of the Shared Investment Framework. Additionally, the Secretariat will continue to develop the value transfer initiative through discussions with members.

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News

GPSNR Working Groups Update: October 2020

In our last issue, we explored the road ahead for GPSNR’s Working Groups following the outcome of the second General Assembly. In this update, we check in on each Working Group to see where they are in their respective journeys.

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

The Strategy and Objectives Working Group has already started working on a proposal for increased Working Group alignment within the Platform. The Working Group is also finalizing the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a study on environmental impacts, and risks, in the natural rubber value chain. With its intended focus on biodiversity and ecosystem services, this study will complement the previously commissioned social risks study (conducted by independent consultants James Griffiths & Associates Sàrl). 

The Living Income Gap studies for Indonesia and Thailand, initiated by the Equity sub-Group, are expected to be delivered to the sub-Group in November. 

‘Policy Toolbox’ Working Group

The Policy Toolbox Working Group has drafted revised Terms of Reference (ToR) that will cater to the work they now have to develop following the approval of the Policy Components at the General Assembly on 23 September 2020. The next phase of work will see the Policy Toolbox Working Group developing implementation guidance for each stakeholder group, as well as future reporting requirements that will build on the baseline reporting requirements and align with the policy implementation guidance. The revised ToR will be discussed further at the Executive Committee level before being approved. 

The Policy Components were approved as part of a resolution for the endorsement of a GPSNR policy framework for natural rubber production and sourcing for ordinary member companies. A booklet containing the Policy Components can be found here.

‘Capacity Building’ Working Group

The Working Group’s latest discussion was centered around its restructuring, and touched on considerations for a revised ToR to accommodate the shift in focus from developing strategies to operationalizing them. The Working Group has also kickstarted discussions around the initiation process for one of the capacity building strategies, namely the identification and gathering of Good Agricultural Practices.

‘Traceability and Transparency’ Working Group

The Working Group will soon be reviewing Traceability and Transparency Tools Comparison study to develop next steps as well as recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Download the October 2020 Working Groups Update Slide Deck for more details on the progress of each Working Group.

GPSNR Staff October 28, 2020
Members

GPSNR Working Groups Update: March 2021 (Members Version)

Strategy and Objectives Working Group

The S&O Working Group has received inputs to the platform Theory of Change from the Smallholders Representation, Capacity Building, and Traceability and Transparency Working Groups. A task team from the S&O Working Group will now work to synthesize these different contributions into a single document. This compiled Theory of Change template will then be developed into the platform Theory of Change through a workshop which will involve representatives from all the working groups.

The Equity Sub-Working Group completed a summary of the Living Income studies that the platform commissioned in 2021 and presented the summary through a webinar. The webinar recording and slides can be found here. The reports are also available here on the member’s portal. The Equity Sub-Working Group will now work to develop recommendations on how GPSNR can address priority risks and boost equity in the value chain.

‘Policy Toolbox’ Working Group

The Policy Toolbox Working Group has selected a combined consultant team of Proforest and Are We There Yet to lead the development of the Implementation Guidance for GPSNR. The development is expected to be a consultative process that concludes with a set of draft guidance that will be ready by July 2021.

To facilitate consultation on the Implementation Guidance, the Working Group will set up category-specific focus groups that members are encouraged to join. The focus groups will meet twice to review the draft guidance and provide feedback and inputs to improve the document. Each focus group is only expected to meet twice and members are only required to spend a few hours before each meeting reviewing the draft documents. The focus groups will be set up in the following manner:

Focus Group 1
Growers
Traders of Raw Materials

Focus Group 2
Processors
Traders of Processed material

Focus Group 3
Tire makers and other manufacturers

Focus Group 4
End users (incl. car makers and other downstream stakeholders).

Members can sign up to participate in a focus group here.

In line with the assessment of policy documents against the policy framework, the Secretariat has collated company policy documents that were submitted and will proceed to review the policy documents submitted for review. The Secretariat has received responses from all 29 ordinary member companies that were required to submit documents and will spend the next month assessing the submissions.

‘Capacity Building’ Working Group

The Capacity Building Working Group has created three separate task forces that will work on working group tasks. The first task force will focus on developing mechanisms to measure impacts of capacity building activities, the second task force will develop a strategy to attract and recognize GPSNR members’ funding of capacity building activities, and the final task force will develop systems to ensure that the national sub-groups tasked with implementing capacity building activities in each country remain aligned with the broader working group. In addition to the Good Agricultural Practices Task Force, the Working Group now has four Task Forces that will work to deliver on their tasks in the coming months.

‘Traceability and Transparency’ Working Group

The Traceability and Transparency Working Group will continue to meet in its sub-groups to develop recommendations on minimum benchmarks for traceability tools and data sharing in the platform. With the submission of the Working Group’s input to the Theory of Change, the Working Group is pleased to announce that its first sub-group has completed the assigned tasking and will no longer meet.

Smallholder Representation Working Group

The Smallholder Representation Working Group has now onboarded smallholders from Indonesia and Vietnam into the Working Group. The Working Group has also divided into two groups within the working group. The first sub-working group will work to develop a strategy to onboard smallholders from countries that are not represented in GPSNR yet. The second group will work to deepen engagement with smallholders who are already members of the platform and also develop strategies to improve representation among minority groups in countries that are already represented in GPSNR

View the March 2021 Working Groups Update Slide Deck for more details on the progress of each Working Group

GPSNR Staff March 30, 2021
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