Resources

This brochure introduces the Business Handbook on Due Diligence in the Cocoa Sector: Addressing Child Labour and Forced Labour, developed by the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct and the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI).

This document complements the Business Handbook on Due Diligence in the Cocoa Sector: Addressing Child Labour and Forced Labour (hereafter referred to as “the Handbook”), developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), with co-financing from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It outlines resources and tools (Part 1) which can help companies operationalise risk-based due diligence to address human rights risks and impacts in the cocoa supply chain, focusing on child labour and

The Business Handbook on Due Diligence in the Cocoa Sector: Addressing Child Labour and Forced Labour (Handbook) helps companies identify, prevent and address risks related to human rights in the cocoa sector, with a focus on child labour and forced labour risks. The Handbook is based on the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the ILO Conventions on child labour and forced labour, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines for MNEs), and the OECD recommendations on risk-based due diligence detailed in the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for

This report places child labour in the context of a broader body of research on the detrimental effects of adverse childhood experiences on child development. It explores the multiple factors affecting the severity of child labour - ie. the extent to which child labour causes (irreversible) harm - and discusses the implications. Drawing on over 150 empirical studies, the study covers: How child labour can cause harm An operational definition of the severity of child labour for the cocoa sector An overview of the practical implications for efforts to prevent and address child labour in the

ICI’s learning agenda is a set of questions to guide ICI's research and learning activities to fill identified knowledge gaps in relation to child labour and forced labour in the cocoa sector. The learning agenda is collectively defined and prioritised, based on input from ICI's members and partners. It sets out our vision for the collective learning process over the next strategic period and will reviewed on an annual basis. This version of the learning agenda was last updated in November 2022.