1. Options for setting an international standard for responsible Allanblackia Novella Partners Meeting Ghana, November 2008 Prepared by Nancy Vallejo, Director, Pi Presented by Kristy Faccer

2. Content The Allanblackia Process The Need for an International Standard Core Elements and Purpose Existing Standards Potential Partners Recommended Next Steps

3. AB Process Establishment of the Novella Partnership and promotion of AB NTFP –Use of potential economic benefits to contribute to poverty alleviation, sustainable use and equitable benefit sharing throughout supply chains –Initial focus in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania –Wild collection

4. AB Process Acceptance of AB as Novel food in EU –Upscale of project to Liberia, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo Domestication and farming (small and medium size plantations  Need for mechanisms to ensure that the enlargement is framed by sustainability practices and that good practices are recognized and encouraged by the market

5. Core elements Internationally credible –Follow WTO requirements –Follow ISEAL code of good practice Applicable throughout supply chains –Conservation and sustainable use of BD –Fair and equitable benefits of risks and benefits –Traceability and transparent business practices Participation in poverty alleviation

6. Shape depends on purpose Promoting better practices –Code is enough but does not allow credible communication Demonstration of achievements or progress to customers –B2B declarations backed by a verifiable standard and a robust verification mechanism On product declarations –Certification (more complex & rigid than verification) –Strict mechanisms for managing claims –Applicable if final product contains a substantial amount of AB Not really credible to put a label if a the portion of a product that contains AB is small, even if all the AB is certified

7. Do existing standards cover AB needs? Comparison of AB needs with 6 standards –Chosen for “philosophical” similarity with AB –FSC, UEBT, FairWild, SAN, FLO, IFOAM No single standard covers all of AB –Need to develop a new one, but –Developing a new scheme is a daunting task  Explore possibility to develop a specific application to AB of an existing standard

8. Standard comparison

9. Choosing a partner organization The Development of a specific application of an existing standard to AB, and using the verification system going with the standard, implies to partner with the organization owning the standard and the verification system Criteria for identifying potential partners

11. Recommended potential partners FSC –Pro: Deals with wild collection and plantations Process for local adaptation and sector specific application Well established and recognized label –Con: Stringent certification approach Little flexibility particularly for small scale Slow administrative process Not applicable throughout supply chains

12. Recommended potential partners UEBT –Pro: Deals with wild collection and plantations Process for local adaptation and sector specific application Flexible verification approach based on gradual implementation Supply chain management approach Works with both FSC and SAN auditors and creates bridges with them –Con New organization (not widely known yet) No on-product claim, thus less visible to consumers as a differentiation mechanism

13. Recommended potential partners SAN (less applicable) –Pro: Well established and recognized label Specialised in agriculture –Applicable at farm level –Con Does not address wild collection No well established process for local adaptation Not applicable throughout supply chains

14. Recommended next steps (1) 1.Organize a partner’s workshop to discuss: –The report and its recommendations –next steps –identify whether the flexible B2B or the visible certification approaches is desirable –timeframe 2.Get in a dialogue and preliminary exploration for a potential partnership with the scheme(s) that the Novella Africa partners have identified as suitable

15. Recommended next steps (2) 3.If this preliminary exploration is not positive, start develop own standard for AB 4.If it is positive, with one or several of the chosen schemes, explore the possibilities and proposals for developing a sector specific application –that builds upon and reflects the objectives, core elements, values and current guidelines

16. Recommended next steps (3) 5.If the implementation of the choice becomes too complicated, revisit the decision –i.e. start develop own standard, as per point 3. above) 6.Evaluate the services provided by the applied solution: –flexibility, –robustness of verification –sustainable development on the ground and –forest conservation

17. Recommended next steps (4) 7.Develop either sector specific application within a chosen scheme or own standard as per point 3 above

18. Thanks!