8th annual meeting of the child labour cocoa

Ladies and Gentlemen,

After two days of  intensive work we are at the end of the CLCCG 8^th annual meeting.

I especially appreciated ICI presentation on mapping tool for school infrastructure and that of NORC on cocoa reseach project in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. I also appreciated the determination of the panelists during the two days in order to find new ways to « Accelerate good practices to combat child labour in cocoa growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana ».

The conclusions and recommendations that was red, give me hope that we will succeed in rapidly reducing this scourge in the cocoa production chain in our respective countries. I congratulate each and every one of you for the important work you have done so far.

In this regard, I would like to reiterate my thanks to the delegations of the Governments of the United States and Ghana who made the trip to Abidjan to participate in this important meeting.

I also express my thanks to our ministers who chair the Interministerial Committee and to the Director General of the Coffee-Cocoa Council for their contribution to the success of the event.

Thanks also to all the officials for their participation in the discussion.

My thanks also go to the cocoa and chocolate industry, to the experts from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire for the productive discussion that took place during the sessions.

I would also like to congratulate all our partners, national and international NGOs, producers’ cooperatives and all those who contributed directly or indirectly to the success of this annual meeting.

Finally, I express my thanks to the organizing committee of the CNS and the CIM, led by Mrs Patricia YAO, for the excellent work that has been done.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to conclude by reaffirming my full commitment to protecting the lives of our children with the support of all stakeholders. As I said at the opening ceremony: « Eliminating child labour is a collective responsibility, which requires strong commitment and determination from all actors ».

If we want to achieve our goal and guarantee the sustainability of our action, we need to strengthen our efforts. As far as we are concerned, Côte d’Ivoire is more than ever committed to ensure the eliminiation of child labour.

I remain convinced that the synergy of our efforts remains the most effective way to eradicate child labour and exploitation in the cocoa production chain.

On this note, I close the 8^th annual meeting of the Child Labour Cocoa Coordinating Group.

Thank you.