Entries by Mubarok Khalid
PRESIDENTIAL INSTRUCTION ON PALM OIL MORATORIUM: WHAT IS UNDER THE MORATORIUM?
President Jokowi specifically gave instructions to the Coordinating Minister for Economy and the Minister of Environment and Forestry to take measures on legal procedures and/or demands for compensation for the use of forest areas for oil palm plantations, based on data verification and evaluation of forest release or forest swap for oil palm plantations. “Is […]
Press Statement: Indonesia’s largest palm oil company, Golden Agri Resources on the ropes
Indonesian, Liberian and International NGOs have just filed five new complaints (attached below) against Indonesia’s largest palm oil company, Golden Agri Resources (GAR). GAR which is part of the huge Sinar Mas (Golden Rays) conglomerate run by the Widjaja family with interests ranging from palm oil and pulpwood to real estate and banking, is failing […]
PRESS RELEASE: Indigenous and human rights defenders visiting the EU call for stronger rights protections in agro-commodity business and policies for deforestation-free trade and investment Citing outcomes from a major trade and human rights forum backed by findings from comprehensive new report, delegation demands political action during visits to Amsterdam, Hague, Brussels and London
AMSTERDAM—(15 February 2018) Fourteen leaders and human rights defenders from forest countries today launched a call to action and a comprehensive report with civil society groups setting out measures needed to protect human rights defenders and putting forward rights-based solutions for stopping the destruction of rainforests and preventing climate change. In concluding a three-day forum […]
Press Release: Indigenous Community files complaint against the RSPO at the OECD
Jakarta, January 24, 2018 – The Dayak Hibun Indigenous People from Kerunang hamlet and Entapang hamlet, Bonti Subdistrict in the Sanggau District in West Kalimantan, today filed a complaint against the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) under the OECD’s special complaint mechanism. The community filed its complaint through the OECD’s National Contact Point (NCP) […]
Tiberias residents seek govt’s help to end land dispute
Residents of Tiberias village in Bolaang Mongondow, North Sulawesi, have called on the government to help end their land dispute against plantation company Malisya Sejahtera that has not yet shown any sign of settlement since it started in 2015. The company has allegedly claimed the land where Tiberias village is located and has become the […]
RSPO Must Respond to Complaints Against Sime Darby: Rights Group
Jakarta. A community rights group has urged the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, or RSPO, to be more responsive in dealing with complaints by residents of two villages in West Kalimantan against Malaysian palm oil giant Sime Darby, which they accuse of stealing their indigenous lands. Sime Darby has expressed its willingness to resolve the conflict. “If the […]
The underbelly of the financial world How it is not taking responsibility for abusive practices in palm oil production
In this background paper, SOMO explores the diverse financial instruments and complex channels of the financial sector through which big companies with social and environmental malpractices are being financed. This is examined through the example of the palm oil sector and a palm oil conglomerate, the Salim conglomerate. This provides a concrete overview of […]