Secretariat Update – February 2020

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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.

February 26, 2020

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Strategy and Objectives Working Group Update – August 2019

We have already had the chance to discuss some updates on the work of the GPSNR Strategy and Objectives working group in our first newsletter in July 2019, available here.

Since then, the Strategy and Objectives Working Group has continued to build out the scope and desired deliverables for the first 3 strategies that GPSNR should implement, namely: 1) Natural Rubber Sustainability Policy Toolbox and Best Practices Guidance; 2) Capacity Building for Smallholders and Rubber Plantations supplying Natural Rubber; 3) Improving Transparency and Traceability within the Natural Rubber Supply Chain.

Strategy 1, “Sustainability Policy Toolbox and Best Practices Guidance”, has now been finalized within the Strategy and Objectives Working Group members. The estimated timeline for the completion of this work has been laid out to ensure that the final approval by the Executive Committee is granted in time, and the deliverables of this strategy can be put forward for consideration by the General Assembly in March 2020. In order to achieve this, the first step will be for the strategy document to be submitted to the GPSNR Executive Committee for approval in August, so that the recruitment to form the sub-working group for Strategy 1 can start as soon as possible.

While the Working Group is still in the initial stages of clarifying the scope for Strategy 2, “Capacity Building”, Strategy 3, “Improving Transparency and Traceability” is under the final revision process by the Strategy and Objectives Working Group members. Once this document is agreed internally, it will be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval. The work on Strategy 3 will also be informed by a study GPSNR plans to commission in the next weeks, to better compare and understand transparency and assurance tools that are currently available, that can be applied to the Natural Rubber supply chain.

The Strategy and Objectives Working Group members are holding bi-weekly catch-up calls to progress the work on these strategies, and ensure that GPSNR has a system that benefits smallholders and and all stakeholders in the natural rubber value chain, adding a credible assurance model which enhances transparency. Every voice is crucial to accomplish this mission, so we welcome you to hop on board and help GPSNR being a better, more inclusive platform. For more information on how to join GPSNR or the Working Groups, contact kobrat@gpsnr.org.

GPSNR Staff August 15, 2019

PUBLIC CONSULTATION: GPSNR’s Assurance System – Round 2

GPSNR is conducting a public consultation from 21 May 2025 to 6 June 2025 on the following documents that will establish GPSNR’s Assurance System:

Resolution Document	Link	Feedback file
Assurance System Documents	XXXX25_Resolution EGA3.a Assurance System Documents	Public Consultation on GPSNR Assurance System Documents Resolution
Assurance System Disclosure Schedule	XXXX25_Resolution EGA3.b Assurance System’s Disclosure Schedule
Summary of changes	Summary of Changes (AS Documents)

Following the previous round of public consultation in March, GPSNR has incorporated feedback received through category discussions, member inputs, and the Assurance System Task Force. This second round of consultation aims to gather final comments on the revised Assurance System documents before they are submitted for approval to the Executive Committee and voting by the General Assembly through an Extraordinary General Assembly currently planned for July.

GPSNR Secretariat May 21, 2025