FROM COMMITMENT TO ACTION – TRACEABILITY OF SUSTAINABLE, DEFORESTATION-FREE PRODUCTS IN ECUADOR

“From Commitment to Action” (C2A) is a flagship global initiative of UNDP. Its goal is to help countries accelerate the reduction of deforestation caused by commodities such as: coffee, cocoa, oil palm and livestock in the main forest ecoregions of the world. This is achieved by helping countries establish roadmaps to meet their commitments to promote non-deforestation products through national multi-stakeholder dialogues. In 2019, the C2A initiative was piloted in the Amazon ecoregion with the participation of the public and private sectors and civil society stakeholders, as well as technical and financial entities of three countries with high levels of agricultural commodity exports: Peru, Colombia and Ecuador.

The increase in commodity production has been an important cause of deforestation in many of the world’s major remaining forests, leading to the loss of valuable carbon sinks and other important services for society, such as clean sources of air and water and livelihoods for forest-dependent peoples.

Many commitments have been made – both by governments and companies – to reduce deforestation caused by the production of commodity crops; however, progress towards achieving the objectives of these agreements has been slow.

One of the obstacles hampering progress is the lack of effective dialogue between public and private sectors, as well as civil society, and technical and financial partners. Most multinational companies that buy basic products such as beef, palm oil, coffee and cocoa, as well as timber and wood products, have committed themselves to purchasing only those products whose cultivation does not favor deforestation, and several trade agreements between countries include similar goals. Private sector commitments include compliance with certification standards, investment policies and environmental regulations. However, in practice, there are not always systems at the national level that facilitate responsible sourcing. Purchasing companies see an increasing need to collaborate directly with governments and producers, and in processes for reforming State policies and regulations.

UNDP offers a package of support services to participating countries to help them move “from commitment to action,” through roadmaps that indicate how a country will fulfill its commitments, and how follow-up will be facilitated through the participation of public and private sectors. That participation will occur within a broader framework of intersectoral institutions, and dialogue between the different parties involved in processes related to land use change and forestry – including indigenous and local communities, farmers and agricultural associations, local government authorities, national and private financial institutions; and national and multinational purchasing companies.

The focus in Ecuador was on updating and/or constructing roadmaps to advance from commitment to action in cocoa, coffee, oil palm and livestock traceability, which can be utilized in the verification of sustainable, deforestation-free products. The results of this study were presented in August 2019.

The following report contains the conclusions of this regional work:

Access link: https://www.greencommodities.org/content/gcp/en/home/global-initiatives/c2b.html