Human rights violations are all too common in the palm oil sector, from appropriating local communities’ land to unfair working conditions, child labour, violence, rape and other crimes
A draft regulation on the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification scheme has been produced by the Government, which has said it would strengthen the scheme given increasing global demand for sustainable, deforestation-free palm oil, but raises questions as to its resolve to make palm oil more sustainable
In an unprecedented show of political will, four Indonesian Ministers – from Environment and Forestry, Trade, Foreign Affairs and Industry – have issued a joint press release on the importance of the timber legality system and the preparations that need to be concluded before issuance of FLEGT licences can start
Indonesian civil society organisations actively combatting illegal logging, the associated illegal trade and pushing for good forest governance have released a position paper on the status of the implementation of the Indonesian Voluntary Partnership Agreement and other issues related to a FLEGT licence for Indonesia
The Government of Indonesia has pushed back at attempts by forest monitors to gain access to basic information on natural resource allocation in a move that threatens to “unlock greater potential for corruption”. The information is essential to ensure that forestry operations are legal