April 13th, 4pm – 5:30pm CET

On 23 February, the European Commission, published a proposal for a Directive on human rights and environmental due diligence. The Directive has been designed to improve corporate governance practices and increase corporate responsibility in relation to human rights and environmental risks, improve access to remedy for those affected by adverse impacts as well as avoiding fragmentation of due diligence requirements in the single market.

  • What are the main requirements outlined in the Directive proposal and what do they mean in practice?
  • To what extent does the Directive proposal align with existing international frameworks and what grey areas remain?
  • What does it mean in practice for the cocoa sector, and what practical guidance is being developed?

To explore these questions and more, the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), in partnership with the European Cocoa Association (ECA), the Association of Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionary Industries of Europe (CAOBISCO) and VOICE Network are organizing an online event on April 13th, 4pm – 5:30pm CET. 

To register, please use the following link: https://bit.ly/3LtXZan

Agenda: 

TimeContentSpeakers
16:00Introduction and Welcome  
16:05

The EU Sustainability Due Diligence Directive Proposal

An introduction to the Directive and how it aligns with international frameworks

  • Lucrezia Busa, Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Reynders, European Commission
  • Heidi Hautala, Vice President and MEP, European Parliament
  • Lene Wendland, Chief, Business and Human Rights Unit, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
16:25Roundtable – Implementing human rights due diligence in the cocoa sector
  • Shivani Kannabhiran, Sector Lead – Supply Chain Due Diligence (Agricultural Sector), OECD
  • Aldo Cristiano, President, CAOBISCO
  • Isabelle Adam, Corporate Relations at Touton, representing ECA
  • Antonie Fountain, Managing Director, VOICE Network
  • Alex Assanvo, Executive Secretary, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana Cocoa Initiative

Moderator: Sarah Dekkiche, Director of Policy and Partnerships, International Cocoa Initiative

17:05 Discussion/Questions & AnswersAll 
17:25Closing RemarksSarah Dekkiche, Director of Policy and Partnerships, International Cocoa Initiative

To register, please use the following link: https://bit.ly/3LtXZan