On 18 February, the “Coffee Sub Sector Gender Policy” was approved by the National Coffee Board (CONACAFE) in Honduras. CONACAFE is a collaborative platform between the Honduran public and private coffee sector. The approval came about during a CONACAFE plenary session. The President of Honduras presides over these sessions and is joined by other participants which include the Secretary General; the Presidential Delegate for Coffee; the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE); farmer, exporter and roaster associations; among other key players in the coffee value chain.
“In the plenary session we have defined that the policy implementation process will be in charge of the sector institutions already implementing the national coffee policy, in alliance with Solidaridad, the International Women in Coffee Alliance (AMUCAFE) and the National Institute for Women (INAM). CONACAFE will follow up and promote the monitoring and evaluation of action plans to achieve policy objectives ”, said Nelson Omar Fúnez, CONACAFE secretary.
Multilateral partnerships to advance policy within the Honduran coffee chain
Through the Reclaim Sustainability! programme, Solidaridad will work with CONACAFE, AMUCAFE and INAM to implement the gender policy in the Honduran coffee sector. This policy aims to reduce the sector’s inclusion gaps through four pillars that will strategically promote activities and initiatives that:
- strengthen gender equity and social inclusion in the sector and related organizations
- increase access to services and resources for women and youth working in the sector
- build the leadership capacity of women and youth working in the sector
- integrate key stakeholders into the gender equity conversation, to build awareness, coordinate actions and promote change.
“At Solidaridad we are committed to including all people without any type of discrimination, so that they have access to the opportunities and benefits throughout the various productive activities in the coffee value chain. We believe that providing spaces for the co-creation of innovative solutions, as we did with the gender policy, lead us to a more just, inclusive and sustainable society”, said Sofía Núñez, coordinator of the Sustainable Coffee Platform in Honduras and project officer, coffee for Solidaridad Centroamérica, Mexico and The Caribbean.
Solidaridad and Rikolto partner with CONACAFE for the development of the policy
The development of this gender policy in the Honduran coffee sector brought together strategic partners that worked to promote it within the national policy framework. To draft the document, review the Honduran context and the existing regulatory framework and arrive at a final version, Solidaridad and Rikolto partnered with CONACAFE. Partners conducted a multi-sector stakeholder consultation to obtain document inputs. The Honduras chapter of the International Women in Coffee Alliance (AMUCAFE), for example, played a critical role throughout the process by actively participating in all interviews and workshops, providing valuable information to fuel policy development.
Among other participants, there were various key internal and external coffee sector stakeholders, including coffee exporter and farmer associations and government actors at the municipal and ministerial level, such as the Ministry of Agriculture and INAM.
In the last quarter of 2020, the final draft was subjected to a rigorous review by 35 relevant organizations and institutions, including representatives of the Honduran executive, judicial and legislative branches. The 35 participants voted in favor of the policy, recognizing that gender and social inclusion are key to the development of the coffee value chain and a foundation for the farmer and exporter certification processes.
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