His diverse background becomes a cornerstone in his approach at WCF. Working with a wide array of stakeholders, from multinational corporations to local communities [...]
Meet the New Change Agent.
A Holistic Approach: His diverse background becomes a cornerstone in his approach at WCF. Working with a wide array of stakeholders, from multinational corporations to local communities, he stresses the importance of understanding various interests and approaches to achieve common goals. WCF's unique position as a bridge between business, cocoa producers, and governments highlights the organisation's convening capacity in fostering successful partnerships.
The Power of PPPs in Cocoa Sustainability: Public-Private Partnerships take centre stage in addressing sustainability challenges in the cocoa sector. WCF's collaborative approach, particularly through the Cocoa & Forest Initiative (CFI), demonstrates how partnerships can drive change, create ownership, and ensure transparency. This unique, sector-wide collaboration is attractive to external investors and donors, as all partners share a commitment to the cause.
Balancing Finance and Sustainability: Navigating the intersection between financial considerations and sustainability goals is a delicate task. The Vice President for Programmes highlights that financial and sustainability goals can coexist, emphasising that investments in programmes should yield positive returns socially, environmentally, and financially.
Key Elements for Impactful Outcomes: Effective planning, a rights-based approach, clear and realistic goals, and a flexible, adaptive mindset are identified as crucial elements for achieving impactful outcomes. Peter underscores the importance of a practical monitoring and evaluation process to ensure that actions are delivered on scope, time, and budget.
Local Realities: A Cornerstone of WCF Programmes: Acknowledging and incorporating local realities into programme designs is non-negotiable. Strong teams on the ground, including dedicated programme partner agency members working closely with communities and local government agencies, are essential. These teams ensure a sense of belonging and ownership among all partners and stakeholders.
Focusing on Impact: Measuring impact is not about counting activities but about tangible results, Peter tells us that to achieve success you need a small set of clear, meaningful, and measurable impacts, particularly in an area such as deforestation, are crucial for determining success.
Learning, Sharing, and Leading: Learning from experiences, sharing knowledge, and celebrating successes are vital for the continuous improvement of WCF's programmes. Peter emphasises that effective learning and knowledge sharing lead to innovation, engagement, and expertise, ultimately contributing to impactful programmes delivery.
What are Peter Koegler’s hopes for the WCF 2024 Partnership Meeting, Amsterdam, February 6-7? The Partnership Meeting is an excellent opportunity to have in-person meetings with members, partners and interact with a great variety of stakeholders who are actively involved in the cocoa sector. Peter is excited about the theme this year ‘Aligning for Global Action’ and is looking forward to interesting and inspiring discussions on this important and timely topic. The Partnership Meeting is a great opportunity to meet new people and learn from each other. With our new and very enthusiastic team of professionals, together with our growth and forward-looking strategy, we will give our friends, members and stakeholders a refreshed boost on its way to a more sustainable, profitable and equitable cocoa sector.
And finally, Peter’s ambition for WCF moving forward: WCF’s role of convening stakeholders globally, co-creating initiatives and promoting collaboration amongst members and beyond, to strengthen the sustainability of the cocoa sector and improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and cocoa farming communities is essential to bring about positive change and lasting impact. Through well designed programmes, a focus on local realities, and a commitment to impactful outcomes, WCF intends to play a major role in shaping a future where cocoa production aligns with the principles of economic, social, and environmental responsibility.
