GPSNR Working Groups Update: December 2020

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Strategy and Objectives Working Group

The Working Group has received several bids in response to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a study on environmental impacts, and risks, in the natural rubber value chain that was published in November. The Working Group has shortlisted three candidates and, as part of the evaluation process, will be conducting with these candidates in January 2021 before awarding the bid to the successful candidate.

The Working Group is also starting on the Theory of Change document update, an exercise which will involve all other Working Groups. This will take place in January 2021. The Equity sub-Group is preparing summary documents for the living income studies and is planning to present the studies to GPSNR members in early 2021.

‘Policy Toolbox’ Working Group

The Working Group has finalized the Baseline Reporting Requirements and these will go to the Executive Committee for review. The Working Group is also developing a Request for Proposal for a consultant to work on the implementation guidance and reporting requirements.

‘Capacity Building’ Working Group

Since the last update, the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Task Force has had their first kickoff call and is beginning the work to identify and/or refine guiding principles for GAPs appropriate for the sustainable production of natural rubber.

The Working Group is also engaging the Executive Committee on their comments regarding the proposed capacity building strategies for four focus countries.

‘Traceability and Transparency’ Working Group

In early December, the Working Group onboarded smallholders from Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire into the group, with the smallholders participating in their first meeting on 10 December.

Aside from reviewing the Working Group’s Terms of Reference (ToR) and its objectives moving forward, the Working Group will also be starting to develop recommendations for members on traceability and transparency tools in early 2021.

Smallholder Representation Working Group

The revised ToR for the Working Group is undergoing a final review, following which it will be sent to the Executive Committee for approval.

The Working Group has also formalised a document that defines the role and key tasks of a Country Champion. So far, Country Champions have been actively involved in organizing and arranging national calls, supporting smallholder engagement, and providing technical and linguistic assistance.

As part of the Working Group’s revamp, it will be undergoing a membership refresh. Part of this will also involve smallholders being onboarded into the Working Group in 2021. The Working Group is also looking into onboarding smallholders from Cambodia. Any GPSNR members who have operations in Cambodia or partners working in Cambodia who can help to identify potential smallholders for an onboarding workshop are welcome to reach out to the Working Group’s Co-Chairs, Ulrich Antoni and Julian Oram.

December 30, 2020

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News

Notice of GPSNR General Assembly 2020

The 2nd General Assembly (GA) of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) will be convened on 23 September 2020. Given the exceptional circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, the decision has been made to hold the GA virtually.

In making this decision, the GPSNR Executive Committee (EC) considered the importance of the issues that require a vote from GPSNR members, the impacts and consequences of a further postponement of the GA, as well as the current global situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The EC felt that a GA held online would meet both criteria of ensuring the safety and comfort of GPSNR members while moving forward the effort of the Working Groups in achieving the Platform’s strategic outcomes.

The GA will take place online, with the voting process also conducted electronically. In lieu of face-to-face member engagements, a series of webinars will be organized to prepare members for the GA.

All members are reminded to submit to the Secretariat their proposed resolutions and/ or nominations for election to the Executive Committee no later than 1 August 2020.

GPSNR Staff June 26, 2020

News

Strategy and Objectives Working Group Update – July 2019

The first draft of the “desired state” document has been shared with the Executive Committee in their monthly meeting in June for further consultation. To avoid overlooking any important steps and details necessary for the development of strategies and objectives, a terms of reference was also created by the Working Group and approved by the Executive Committee, defining the scope, objectives, and outcomes which will be enabled by the process.

The completion of the “Theory of Change Workshop” in March, where the group met in Singapore to collaborate on building out “What Good Looks Like” when it comes to sustainable natural rubber, contributed to the start of the work on the “Theory of Change” for natural rubber, a process aimed at identifying the root causes for the current state of the natural rubber industry as well as identify the Key Strategies that the Working Group believes the platform should start working on.

Currently, the Working Group is in the process of finalizing the recommendations for launching these strategies, including timelines for implementation in 2019/2020. The focus for the next 6 months will be on launching and pursuing three main strategies: 1) Sustainability Policy Tool Box and Best Practices; 2) Capacity Building for Smallholders and Rubber Plantations to support the incorporation of more sustainable practices; 3) Improving Transparency and Traceability within the Natural Rubber Supply Chain.

We would like to thank the members who participated and encourage all others to actively participate in the Working Group’s undertakings. In order to meet the high expectations set for GPSNR, we need members to attend the meetings frequently, participate consistently, and contribute in a timely manner.

GPSNR Staff July 12, 2019