Terms of Reference - Stichting IDH - Human Rights Impact and Risk Assessment (HRIA) at landscape level for the coffee value chain in Huila, Colombia

Sep 16, 2026

Terms of Reference for Stichting IDH to commission a consultant delivering a Human Rights Impact and Risk Assessment (HRIA) at landscape level for Colombia’s Huila coffee value chain. The assessment establishes a clear human-rights risk baseline to enable development of a collective HRDD system, moving beyond fragmented company approaches toward coordinated, origin-based action. The assignment covers comparative review of existing HR and EUDR work, stakeholder mapping, and creation of a harmonized HRIA framework integrating OECD/UNGP and EUDR legality requirements.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time4 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

2. Background

3. Assignment

Objective

Comparative analysis report (EUDR & human-rights RIA)

Stakeholder Mapping

Common Huila HR risk & impact assessment framework

4 May 2026 Terms of Reference Stichting IDH Human Rights Impact and Risk Assessment (HRIA) at landscape level for the coffee value chain in Huila, Colombia 1. Introduction Stichting IDH (“IDH”) accelerates and up-scales sustainable trade by building impact-oriented coalitions of front running companies, civil society, governments, knowledge institutions and other stakeholders in several commodity sectors. We convene the interests, strengths and knowledge of public and private partners in sustainability commodity programs that aim to mainstream international and domestic commodity markets. We jointly formulate strategic intervention plans with public and private partners, and we co-invest with partners in activities that generate public goods. On basis of these Terms of Reference (“ToR”) , IDH aims to select a party (the “Consultant”) to deliver a Human Rights Impact and Risk Assessment that provides a clear risk baseline for the Huila coffee landscape and enables the development of a collective HRDD system. 2. Background Coffee production in Huila, Colombia, is a cornerstone of the department’s economy, culture, and identity. For over a decade, Huila has led national coffee production, contributing nearly 18% of Colombia’s total annual harvest, equivalent to more than 2.6 million bags produced by approximately 83,000 coffee-growing families across 35 municipalities. Beyond its economic role, coffee farming represents a cultural backbone of rural life, shaping landscapes, traditions, and community identity in the region. Coffee companies operating in Huila are increasingly required to demonstrate credible compliance with international human rights and environmental due diligence frameworks, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct, and the emerging requirements under the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) . At the same time, fragmented, company-specific approaches to human rights due diligence have proven insufficient to capture systemic risks within production landscapes. The Territorial HRDD model proposed for Huila aims to shift from isolated compliance tools toward a coordinated, origin-based system capable of identifying, preventing, and mitigating human rights impacts at landscape scale. In order to operationalize this model, a robust Human Rights Impact and Risk Assessment (HRIA) is required as a foundational step. This assessment is not conceived as a standalone diagnostic exercise. It is a strategic intervention designed to create a shared evidence base that enables collective action among coffee companies, cooperatives, local authorities, civil society organizations, and other relevant actors in the region. The HRIA will provide the analytical foundation upon which a coordinated landscape-level due diligence system can be built, ensuring alignment, reducing duplication, and strengthening credibility. 3. Assignment As part of IDH's commitment to transforming sourcing regions and offering better conditions to smallholders in the supply chain, IDH is looking for a consultant to conduct a comprehensive landscape-level Human Rights Impact and Risk Assessment focused on the coffee value chain in Huila. The assessment must identify both actual and potential human rights impacts arising from coffee production and associated value chain activities across the territory. The HRIA will be conducted at landscape. Rather than focusing on individual company supply chains, the analysis must examine territorial dynamics and patterns affecting rights-holders across the coffee ecosystem. The work will examine production systems, seasonal and permanent labour arrangements, cooperative dynamics, land tenure conditions, and broader community-level impacts linked to coffee activities. It will also analyse structural drivers that may contribute to rights risks, such as income instability, la

FAQs

What is the purpose of the HRIA for the Huila coffee landscape?

The HRIA provides a clear risk baseline and analytical foundation to support a collective HRDD system for the Huila coffee landscape.

How will the assessment approach differ from company-by-company reviews?

It will examine territorial dynamics and patterns affecting rights-holders across the coffee ecosystem, including labor arrangements, land tenure, cooperative dynamics, and community-level impacts.

What specific deliverables are required from the consultant?

Deliverables include a comparative analysis report (EUDR & human-rights RIA) with an annexed inventory of reviewed materials, a comprehensive stakeholder mapping, and a common Huila HR risk & impact assessment framework with harmonized methodology and tools.

Sep 16, 2026

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