Wilmar appeals RSPO ruling that it grabbed indigenous lands in Sumatra
▻https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/wilmar-appeals-rspo-ruling-that-it-grabbed-indigenous-lands-in-sumatr
On Jan. 1, the world’s largest association for ethical palm oil production found that Wilmar International had violated the rights of the indigenous Kapa community of West Sumatra, Indonesia, when the company obtained its land to plant oil palm on it. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) also approved a plan that, if implemented, would allow the Kapa to retain control of their customary territory.
But now, following an appeal by Wilmar stating that it has found possible breaches in the complaint-handling process within the RSPO, that decision may be in jeopardy.
The initial ruling, that Singapore-based #Wilmar had violated community rights and RSPO rules when it tried to take out a Land Use Rights (HGU) permit over Kapa land, signaled progress in the long-running dispute between the palm oil giant and the indigenous group. Based on the advice of an independent consultant, the #RSPO’s Complaints Panel also recommended that the disputed land should be remeasured for development approval with better community participation. This recommendation was intended to give the Kapa more clarity on which lands were taken over by Wilmar, and how to re-allocate the land between Wilmar’s core estate and smallholdings for Kapa people, which would allow them to glean some benefit from Wilmar’s presence in their territory.