SAI Program under the “USAID Environment and Labor Excellence for CAFTA-DR Program” (ELE CAFTA-DR)

Better working conditions are critical to realizing human rights at work, optimizing production systems, business competitiveness and sustainable development for societies at large. Professional certification systems assess the social performance of enterprises in a supply chain and verify to buyers and other stakeholders both the working conditions and reliability of the producer. In ELE- CAFTA -DR Component C, Social Accountability International (SAI) is working with partners Rainforest Alliance and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to achieve labor and environmental excellence through increased use of standards on labor conditions, environmental impact and agricultural practices. Certifications such as SA8000, on labor standards, and Rainforest Alliance, on environmental and agronomic practices, are mutually supportive and are strengthened through coordination and increased engagement of all stakeholders, from global buyers to field workers.

Through the facilitation of social dialogue among producers associations, international companies, trade unions, and government SAI works to increase these stakeholders’ understanding and participation in the implementation of labor standards and use of certification programs. SAI aims to engage global companies in supporting and using their purchasing of agricultural products from the CAFTA -DR region to create incentives for the implementation of social responsibility programs throughout the supply chain. At the production level, SAI provides training and technical assistance to enable producers and workers to actively participate in the implementation of international labor and environmental certification systems. The participant producers can establish themselves as industry leaders, demonstrating competitiveness based on social and environmental responsibility. The SAI Program under ELE CAFTA -DR aims to guide global and local agricultural companies towards sustainable compliance with labor and environmental standards.