A  light  governance structure

with a balanced representation of civil society, industry, governments, and standards.

CSI is a Foundation (Stichting) under Dutch Law.

General organisation

The group of experts – from different sectors - currently involved in CSI agreed on the following lean governance structure: 

  1. CSI Board
  2. CSI Executive Committee/Project management
  3. Working Groups

Board

 
the Collaborative Soy Initiative BOARD
Lieven Callewaert - Chair CSI Voting right: yes
Heleen van den Hombergh - Board secretary and Coordinator of CSI  Voting right: yes

Johan den Hartog- Treasurer CSI                                                                                                                                        Voting right: yes

Soy standards
Emese Brosz - ProTerra Executive Director - Representative Voting right: yes
Susanne Fromwald - Donau Soja Executive Director - Representative Voting right: yes
RTRS:  see Observers Voting right: no
Companies
Gerhard Adam - Bayer - Representative Voting right: yes
Lucas Vogt  - ACT Commodities - Representative Voting right: yes
Jose Villalon - Nutreco - Representative Voting right: yes
Civil society organisations
NGO representative, up for replacement Voting right: yes
Jean-François Timmers / Marcelo Elvira- WWF Brazil - Representative Voting right: yes
Other
Johan den Hartog -GMP+ International- representative Voting right: yes
Peter de Koning - Mekon Ecology - ADP Secretariat Voting right: yes
Observers: no voting rights
Guilherme do Couto Justo/ Willem Klaassens - IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative                                                                                             

Eddy Esselink- MVO, oils and fats sector

Marcelo Visconti- RTRS

Working groups

The brainstorm sessions in 2016 and 2019 led to a prioritization of challenges & actions, which were bundled into 4 action clusters. These action clusters were defined as having the biggest impact on the vision of 100% deforestation and conversion-free, sustainable soy and they suit the mission of the Initiative.

The further implementation of these action clusters is being executed by separate Working Groups, with feedback loops to the multi-stakeholder Board, who takes the final decisions on strategy, actions and alignment with other initiatives.

On 11 June 2019 the Collaborative Soy Initiative was presented for 50 experts of the soy sector, with representation of NGO, Industry, Trade and Finance and Producers. The participants were invited to join the working groups. Since 2020, 35 representatives, ranging from civil society, NGO, producers, roundtables & standards, private companies and sector federations, are participating actively in one or more of the working groups.

(to be updated in June 2022).

  • Working group 1 — Come together

    • Join the Collaborative Initiative
    • Determine further its governance structure
    • Show the necessity to work collaboratively with narratives
    • Publish proven success and impact

  • Working group 2 — reach out (actions Now included elsewhere)

    • Share resources with other roundtables and platforms
    • European and global lobby, collaboratively, for systemic policy changes
    • Engage jurisdictions to promote conversion-free, integrated area approaches

  • Working group 3 — engage

    • With a clear understanding of embedded soy
    • Drive a pull market with frontrunners
    • Facilitate access to capital with the finance sector
    • Chanel money towards zero deforestation and zero conversion

  • Working group 4 — make it practical

    • Practical step for scaling up deforestation/conversion free soy
    • Assess with existing monitoring systems
    • Create synergies between actors working on area/jurisdictional approach
    • More awareness for existing global mapping tools

Project management

The daily matters are dealt with by an Executive Committee. The CSI activities are oragnized by a project manager/coordinator with the following key functions:

  • Provide a neutral contact point to convene stakeholders and build a soy community, facilitating communication between engaged stakeholders
  • Take up the daily secretariat of the Steering Committee meetings in close collaboration with the Steering Committee chair: prepare agenda and pre-reads, convene the meetings
  • Draft the minutes and manage or lead the follow-up actions
  • Convene, prepare and (co-)design the Meta Meetings between international and regional soy initiatives
  • Manage the operational functioning of the Working Groups in close collaboration with the respective working group chairs: set up of the working groups; management of the working group meetings, preparation of the webinars, organize feedback loops to the Steering Committee
  • Lead the internal CSI communication working group: development and use of the communication tools
  • Manage the website and basic info hub.
  • Prepare background documentation and support materials when necessary