Embode is undertaking an assessment of risks and issues of child labour along Cargill’s cocoa supply chain in and through Indonesia. The assessment also includes desk-based risk assessments of child labour from other source countries as well as a recommended supply-chain focused due diligence process.

This project is jointly commissioned by Cargill and Bunge Loders Croklaan. Embode is conducting phase 2 of a situational assessment of migrant labour in Malaysia’s palm oil sector, with a particular focus on the Nepal-Malaysia labour migration corridor.

Embode is supporting Hivos’ global strategy to realising adequate institutional funding in order to support their continuing work in Southeast Asia.

Embode conducted a situational assessment of cocoa growing in the Indian context for Cocoa Life India. This included an assessment of community needs, gender and child labour in cocoa growing regions and a list of key recommendations. Following a one day workshop presenting and discussing the findings, Cocoa Life India agreed to move forward with all the recommendations in order to upgrade their on-going efforts in social and labour sustainability in cocoa.

Embode conducted an assessment of labour conditions in the garment and fashion value chain in Vietnam. This assessment is due to be published by Anti-Slavery International and is supporting their EU Advocacy Project to improve corporate human rights due diligence processes.

Embode developed a guide to child-centred labour policy for business and corporations. The paper outlines ten sustainable business approaches and provides a set of promising practices already being implemented in around the world from different business sectors. As part of this work, Embode also designed and co-facilitated an Action Lab at the Global Child Forum in Stockholm in April 2018, with corporate, UN, government, NGO and academic participants from all over the world.

Embode is a member of the Expert Social Monitoring Group for shrimp farms and fisheries developing a set of integrative indicators for social and labour monitoring to be piloted using an electronic data gathering system. The group is headed and hosted by Fairagora and includes experts from across sectors.

Embode provided an analysis of gaps, opportunities and recommendations for Cocoa Life’s Women’s Empowerment efforts throughout its programme in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia. This involved a desk-based review of all programme documentation, visits to cocoa growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia as well as providing technical input to workshops with all programme partners in Abidjan, Accra and Jakarta.

In partnership with Influence Global (as lead agency), Embode reviewed and assessed the relevance and effectiveness of UNICEF Thailand’s advocacy strategies over the 2012 to 2016 Country Programme. This involved a comprehensive evaluation process and a series of workshops and consultations.

Embode undertook an assessment of accountabilities in relation to migrant labour in the palm oil value chain and sector in Malaysia. The objective of this assessment, and resulting recommendations, is to contribute to the increased understanding of the situation and to help forge a pathway for the sector to respond to risks.

Embode is currently developing a Guiding Manual and Good Practices on Adolescent Participation in Policy Dialogue and Programme Development in Cambodia. The manual includes an overview of national and international frameworks, policies and legislation.

Embode provided programmatic consultancy to Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life initiative in relation to the specific Indian context and implications for sustainability standards.

Embode provided facilitation and design support to Save the Children’s Education Week 2017 for technical staff from across Asia and the Middle East. The conference took place in New Delhi, India.

Embode delivered two systems leadership workshops for the Senior Management and BEST/PREPS programme teams in Save the Children in Thailand. A bespoke report analysing organisational leadership and recommendations was also drawn up.

Embode has been conducting a broad-scale assessment of child labour and child slavery in the cocoa sectors on Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia. This has included the development and refinement of methodological tools for each country assessment, a comprehensive literature review, field visits to each country encompassing stakeholder consultations with cocoa-growing communities, government, private sector, UN and NGOs and international experts, data analysis, report drafting and publication. Embode has also provided ongoing advisory consultancy to Mondelēz International relating to the implementation of the recommendations.

Embode provided analytical and technical support to a power mapping and stakeholder analysis of ESG (environment, social and governance standards) integration across the Asian Financial Sector for Oxfam Novib.

Embode scoped top campaign-able issues and public sentiment across human rights, animal welfare and the environment for Lush, the handmade cosmetics brand, in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, The Philippines and Thailand.

Embode delivered a session on ‘Transforming Experience in Managing Organisational Change’ to the British Council East Asia Regional Conference.

Embode facilitated Save the Children's #EdTech Roundtable held in Singapore, bringing together their Global Education Team and leading Tech Industry participants Vodafone, Huawei, Frog Design, Toladata, Cognizant, Accenture, Microsoft and Standard Chartered. Our consultancy also included preparation for the Roundtable and facilitation of pre and post meetings.

Embode delivered a webinar on ‘child protection in cocoa communities’ to the Cargill Cocoa Promise (CCP) Sustainability team.

Embode provided organisational consultancy to Save the Children International in Thailand and their consortium partners in reviewing and renegotiating terms of the partnership. This included the design and facilitation of partnership meetings in order to enable optimal communication and renew agreements between the organisations.

Embode co-designed and provided technical advisory to FHI 360 and collaborators for an Asia Regional Counter Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) program. This included focused project design and drafting on private sector engagement as well as partnership brokering with other organisational stakeholders in the region.

Embode designed, coordinated and conducted an evaluation of the Safe SEAs (Keeping Children Safe from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) programme which included the development of evaluation tools, training and coordination of evaluation data-gatherers, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, report write up, and provision of clear recommendations to World Vision International in Cambodia.

Embode delivered ‘child safe tourism’ training-for-trainers to LANITH (the Lao PDR National Institute for Tourism and Hospitality) and provided coaching and technical backstopping in their inaugural child safe tourism training event in Champasak province.

Embode scoped, designed and developed a project proposal for an international donor for World Vision US and Ghana. This included facilitating a project development workshop with staff personnel in Ghana as well as devising and writing up a technical design and project proposal for submission.

Embode conducted a brief review of key emerging social causes in Thailand for Love Frankie, as part of a scoping assignment for an international socially-progressive confectionary brand who were seeking to commence operations in the country.