Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether he is taking steps to support a global initiative of Governments and businesses to ensure that workers in (a) cocoa and (b) other supply chains receive a living income; and if he will make a statement.

One of the keys to driving poverty reduction is enabling workers in global supply chains to be paid a living wage. The UK works with Governments, businesses and other actors to advance this agenda. For example, the Department for International Development (DFID) supports the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), which works with companies such as the Body Shop, Co-op and Tesco, as well as trade unions. The UK also supports initiatives such as the UN Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest business sustainability initiative, which focuses partly on labour rights and has over 12,000 signatories from over 160 countries.