New Research Questions Effectiveness of RSPO Standards

"Members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) are violating the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in the forests and peatlands of tropical nations worldwide, according to a new research publication released today. The study details the performance of 16 oil palm operations, many run by RSPO members, reporting on their failure to uphold human rights and environmental standards required.

'Since its founding eight years ago, the RSPO has adopted good standards, but too many member companies are not delivering on these paper promises,' said Norman Jiwan, Executive Director of Transformasi Untuk Keadilan Indonesia, a human rights organisation based in Jakarta. 'The RSPO could still meet this challenge if it provides remedies for member companies’ impacts on communities, but for that we need much stricter enforcement. The organisation’s very credibility is at stake.'

The book 'Conflict or consent? The oil palm sector at a crossroads' details cases in which palm oil producers have failed to obtain permission from communities - a process required by the RSPO based on the UN mandate that is known as free, prior and informed consent. The findings also support accounts of the destructive impact that the palm oil developments are having on indigenous peoples and local communities." To download the report, edited by Marcus Colchester and Sophie Chao (Forest Peoples Programme), and related materials, please visit: http://www.forestpeoples.org/press-room.

Source: Forest Peoples Programme Press Release, 6 November 2013

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Online Debate on RSPO and Palm Oil Sustainability

Darrel Weber, RSPO Secretary General

On 21 May, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) joined an online debate hosted by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) on a range of questions concerning palm oil sustainability. The debate was moderated by acclaimed writer and journalist Fred Pearce and the speakers included Darrel Weber (Secretary General, RSPO), Robert Hii (Outreach Manager, Palm Oil Consumers Action), and Lorinda Jane and Michelle Nicol (Products on Australian Shelves that Contain Palm Oil).

The discussion revolved primarily around the following topics: 

• Challenges, including the complexity of the supply chain, lack of consumer confidence in RSPO-certified palm oil in certain 'developed' markets, and the overall balance that needs to be struck in multi-stakeholder processes between high standards and participation of key players in an evolving industry;
• Gains and successes, including the Netherlands' promising approach to managing supply logistics, special schemes to encourage participation of smallholders in RSPO, and a functioning complaints system and Dispute Settlement Facility; and
• Suggestions for improvement, including stronger human rights standards, improved collaboration between smallholders to ensure they can become certified, introducing time-bound schedules for reporting and complaints resolution, and ensuring compliance with the RSPO Code of Conduct and Principles and Criteria.

Mr. Weber noted in closing that a new website (betterpalmoil.org) will be launched on 1 June 2013 to enable consumers to better understand the products they purchase. The full online debate is available at www.rspodebate.com and additional questions can be sent to communications.eu (at) rspo.org.

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ECCHR Workshop on Transnational Accountability

From 19-21 March in Manila, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a workshop on judicial and quasi-judicial instruments for holding transnational corporations accountable for human rights violations. The workshop was organised by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) with the Philippine-Misereor Partnership and generously supported by Misereor and Brot fur die Welt (Bread for the World).

As the final of a series of regional workshops held over the past 3 years, it aimed to address the problem of accountability of transnational corporations involved in grave human rights violations by jointly developing strategies for litigation for cases from the the mining, palm oil, and manufacturing sectors. It included practical considerations such as uncovering internal corporate structures, collecting evidence for proving cases in court, and dealing with power dynamics between lawyers and communities. Soft-law mechanisms such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Dispute Settlement Facility and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and community instruments such as biocultural community protocols were also discussed. Participants were primarily lawyers and non-profit organisations and networks from South East Asia, as well as legal experts from Europe, the U.S., and Latin America.

Holly would like to thank Jerbert, Clod, and Claudia for their meticulous organisation of the workshop and all of the participants and supporters for making it such a memorable experience.

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FPP Resource on RSPO Dispute Resolution System

Via www.forestpeoples.org/

The Forest Peoples' Programme has produced a booklet documenting the dispute resolution system of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a not-for-profit association formed in 2004 in response to the urgent and pressing global call for sustainably produced palm oil. While the document identifies numerous shortcomings with the RSPO complaints system, it seeks to ensure that communities are capable of accessing the current system. According to the booklet, "it provides basic information and guidance to civil society organisations and affected local communities on how the RSPO complaint process works and the various steps involved in submitting a complaint."

The booklet can be downloaded here. 

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Palm Oil Producer Violations Exposed

A series of major Asian palm oil companies that are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) have been exposed for violations of RSPO guidelines. As a recent press release from the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) demonstrates in documenting several of these cases, these violations raise the question of whether the RSPO is actually able to enforce its own standards. 

It was recently established by Green Advocates, representing the Kru tribes in Liberia, that a subsidiary of Indonesia’s largest palm oil producer, Sina Mas, had clearly violated the RSPO’s New Planting Procedure by not advertising plans to clear and plant oil palms and not publicising a High Conservation Value Assessment. According to RSPO standards, the company should cease clearance until due process is followed, especially as community members have expressed concern that their land is being taken without their free, prior and informed consent. 

The FPP press release documents further violations of RSPO guidelines in Liberia, Cameroon, Malaysia, and Indonesia, many uncovered through a partnership between FPP, Sawit Watch and other partners to review the practices of 15 major palm oil companies in West Africa and Southeast Asia. It concludes by noting Sawit Watch’s concern that the RSPO must significantly improve its system as its credibility is clearly at stake. 

Find the full press release here. Download FPP and Sawit Watch’s review of 15 RSPO members practices here.

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