German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa

What is German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) doing to achieve its goal?

• Côte d’Ivoire, which produces more than 50% of the cocoa processed in Germany, is the first partner country of the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO). Members’ activities in this major cocoa-producing country are centred around PRO-PLANTEURS, a joint project implemented in conjunction with the Conseil du Café-Cacao in Côte d’Ivoire. The project will professionalise 20,000 cocoa-producing families and their organisations, ultimately benefiting 100,000 people in Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa belt, with a particular focus on women and young farmers. The aim is to increase productivity and quality in the cocoa sector, diversify production and improve food security.
• GISCO has a local employee in Côte d’Ivoire and thus has a direct contact to local activities.
• GISCO also supports the Certification Capacity Enhancement (CCE) Initiative in West Africa, which has already provided training for more than 90,000 farmers and introduced them to the concept of sustainability certification.
• GISCO aims to promote networking and cooperation with present and future sustainable cocoa farming initiatives.
• GISCO hosts events and is actively engaged in media and PR activities to raise awareness of its work and of progress towards more sustainability in the cocoa belt.

How does GISCO work together in partnership to achieve its goal?

• The German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) was launched in June 2012 and became a registered association in April 2014. It is an alliance of the German confectionery industry and retail grocery trade, civil society organisations and the German Government, represented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
• GISCO’s activities are coordinated and governed by the General Meeting, working groups and the Steering Committee.
• The Steering Committee is elected annually by the General Meeting and comprises two members from each of the four stakeholder groups: industry, trade, policy and civil Society.
• GISCO is coordinated by a Secretariat hosted by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

How is GISCO financed?

The association is funded by fixed membership contributions. Members and third parties are at liberty to make additional contributions in support of GISCO’s activities. Prior to being registered as an association, GISCO and its activities were funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the confectionery industry and retail grocery trade. GISCO has been chosen as the German Government’s 2016 lighthouse project for the National Sustainable Development Strategy.