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Voice of Cocoa

World Cocoa Foundation

By Writer

The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is a non-profit international membership organization whose vision is a sustainable and thriving cocoa sector – where farmers prosper, cocoa-growing communities are empowered, human rights are respected, and the environment is conserved.

Who We Are

WCF’s members include cocoa and chocolate manufacturers, processors, supply chain managers, and other companies worldwide, representing more than 80 percent of the global cocoa market. WCF’s activities benefit farmers and their communities in cocoa-growing regions of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas.

Our Vision

Our vision is a thriving and sustainable cocoa sector, where farmers prosper, communities are empowered, and the planet is healthy.

Our Long-Term Goals

As set out in our new strategy, the long-term goals of WCF are:

  • Prosperous cocoa farmers become truly sustainable and profitable, with transformation of traditional smallholder farming into modern business that deliver sustainable livelihoods for farmers and their families;
  • Empowered cocoa-growing communities lead their own development, human rights are protected, and safety and well-being of children and families are strengthened; and
  • A healthy planet is conserved and enhanced, with resilient and biodiverse landscapes in cocoa geographies, and the carbon footprint of the sector is reduced.

Key Outcomes

Over the next five years, WCF is focusing on three key outcomes: increasing farmer income, combating child and forced labor, and ending deforestation in the cocoa supply chain.

Industry cannot achieve these outcomes in isolation – we need a strong enabling environment where we work with origin governments and all stakeholders to drive transformation through:

  • Multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnerships;
  • Effective government policy and regulatory frameworks, both in producing and consuming countries; and
  • Aligned public-private investment to create impact at scale, which accelerates science, innovation, and learning.

Key Steps to Deliver Goals and Outcomes

WCF is focusing on six key steps to deliver these goals and outcomes:

  1. Convene cocoa and chocolate industry in collective action – to build an aligned, motivated, and knowledgeable membership engaged in collective action;
  2. Facilitate multi-stakeholder partnerships – to engage and leverage the knowledge, financing, skills, and power of different stakeholders to jointly identify and solve key sustainability challenges;
  3. Facilitate industry engagement in policy dialogue with government – to identify and address key barriers in the enabling business and policy environment;
  4. Promote industry learning, knowledge sharing, and monitoring and evaluation – in order to identify lessons learned and good practices, and strengthen transparency and accountability of industry results and performance;
  5. Help mobilize resources from development partners and financial and financial markets – to leverage the additional financing required to successfully implement collective action initiatives; and
  6. Communicate industry investment and impact – to showcase industry’s sustainability efforts and results while managing risks, particularly related to human rights and environment.
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