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Indonesian NGOs have protested strongly to the Indonesian government authorities and RSPO about an incident they recorded on 18th December 2017, when police security forces shot and wounded two farmers. The shootings allegedly took place in one of Wilmar International’s oil palm plantations in Central Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo.

The Complaints Panel of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has just found in favour of a complaint against the oil palm giant, Wilmar International, finding that it has indeed unlawfully taken over the lands of the Kapa community without their consent.

This review is the result of several years of fieldwork by the Liberian civil society organisation Social Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (SESDev), in partnership with the UK-based Forest Peoples Programme (FPP), and is part of a UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) funded project that examines putting into practice in Liberia the FAO Technical Guide entitled ‘Respecting free, prior and informed consent, Practical guidance for governments, companies, NGOs, indigenous peoples and local communities in relation to land acquisition’.

In December 2013, following pressure from its customers and investors, the palm oil giant Wilmar committed to delinking its entire supply chain, including joint ventures and third-party suppliers, from deforestation, peatland development, and human rights abuses.  The commitment, to be fully implemented by December 2015, was welcomed by groups who had tracked and criticised Wilmar for its environmental destruction and human rights abuses. Two years on however, despite its promises, Wilmar has failed to resolve many long standing conflicts between its operations and impacted communities. The following material looks at a couple of cases where Wilmar has failed to resolve its conflicts with communities.

The Maninjau Resolution28th January 2016Wilmar’s broken promises: we want action not just pledgesThe world’s largest palm oil trading company, Wilmar International Ltd. (F34.SI / WLIL.SI), promised ‘Zero Exploitation’ throughout its supply chain alongside its commitment to ‘Zero Deforestation’. As human rights workers and NGOs that support the rights of the indigenous peoples and local communities in Indonesia and internationally, we NGOs who assembled here near Lake Maninjau in West Sumatra on 26-28 January 2016, declare the following.

World’s largest palm oil trading company, Wilmar International Ltd., under scrutiny as communities accuse its suppliers of harassment, deception and rights abuses.

Borneo human rights organization files complaint alleging multiple breaches of RSPO standards by palm oil supplier PT. Swadaya Mukti Prakarsa (SMP) / First Resources.

The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) of the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private sector arm, has just issued a strongly worded report which formally closes its efforts to mediate the resolution of land disputes between affected communities and the oil palm company PT Asiatic Persada (PT AP) in Jambi Province in Indonesia.

Source: MongabayNearly 150 homes were reportedly destroyed in the latest incident in a long-standing conflict between indigenous Batin Sembilan residents and former Wilmar unit PT Asiatic Persada.

This report summarises the various phases of the mediation process between PT Asiatic Persada and the Batin Sembilan communities in Jambi, Sumatra, including the initial phase of mediation by SETARA and the second phase of mediation facilitated by the Joint Mediation Team of the International Finance Corporation Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (IFC CAO) and the Jambi province government.

Click here to read joint statement.

Read the joint petition in English or in Bahasa Indonesia. 

The International Finance Corporation Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (IFC CAO) has formally announced its withdrawal from the case of PT Asiatic Persada, following the sale of the concession by Wilmar in April 2013, and the new management’s decision to continue mediation through a government team instead. This is despite the fact that the affected Batin Sembilan communities and complaint signatory NGOs have repeatedly called on the IFC CAO to continue its role as mediator and to encourage the company to pursue this avenue towards conflict resolution.

Nurman Nuri, Leader of the Suku Anak Dalam group 113 of Pinang Tinggi in the Indonesian province of Jambi, stated in a press conference held on 3 October 2013 at the office of Indonesian NGO CAPPA: "We demand that the Governor of Jambi Province immediately revokes the HGU (Business Use Permit) of PT Asiatic Persada, as since its establishment in the 1980s no benefits at all have been derived by the indigenous Suku Anak Dalam living in this territory, only misery."

Oil palm giant and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) member, Wilmar, has agreed the sale of its oil palm concession PT Asiatic Persada, without prior consultation or respect for the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of indigenous Batin Sembilan communities already engaged in a land conflict mediation process.

This complaint is directed to Wilmar Group regarding its sale agreement of PT Asiatic Persada (Jambi, Indonesia) to Prima Fortune International Ltd and PT Agro Mandiri Semesta.

In 2011, the World Bank Group (WBG) adopted a Framework and Strategy for investment in the palm oil sector. The new approach was adopted on the instructions of former World Bank President Robert Zoellick, after a damning audit by International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) semi-independent Compliance Advisory Ombudsman (CAO) had shown that IFC staff were financing the palm oil giant, Wilmar, without due diligence and contrary to the IFC’s Performance Standards. Wilmar is the world’s largest palm oil trader, supplying no less than 45% of globally traded palm oil. The audit, carried out in response to a series of detailed complaints[1] from Forest Peoples Programme and partners, vindicated many of our concerns that Wilmar was expanding its operations in Indonesia in violation of legal requirements, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards and IFC norms and procedures. Almost immediately after the audit was triggered, IFC divested itself of its numerous other palm oil investments in Southeast Asia.

Em 2011, o Grupo Banco Mundial (WBG na sigla em inglês) adotou um Quadro e Estratégia para investimentos no setor de óleo de palma. A nova abordagem foi adotada sob instruções do ex-presidente do Banco Mundial, Robert Zoellick, depois de uma condenatória auditoria realizada pelo Compliance Advisory Ombudsman - CAO - (Ouvidor para a Verificação do Cumprimento das Regras) da International Finance Corporation - IFC- (Corporação Financeira Internacional) ter revelado que o pessoal da IFC estava financiando o gigante do óleo de palma, Wilmar[1], sem a devida diligência, e contrário às Normas de Desempenho da IFC. Wilmar é o maior comerciante de óleo de palma do mundo, abastecendo nada menos que 45% do óleo de palma comercializado mundialmente. A auditoria, realizada em resposta a uma série de reclamações detalhadas do Forest Peoples Programme e dos seus parceiros, confirmou muitas das nossas preocupações de que Wilmar estava expandindo suas operações na Indonésia, em violação às exigências legais, normas da Mesa Redonda sobre Óleo de Palma Sustentável (RSPO na sigla em inglês) e as normas e procedimentos da IFC. Quase imediatamente depois do início da auditoria, a IFC desfez-se dos seus outros inúmeros investimentos em óleo de palma no sudeste da Ásia.

International and Indonesian civil society organisations' complaint on transparency and corporate social responsibility of Wilmar International regarding treatment of civil society queries in communications with Wilmar subsidiary PT Anugrah Rejeki Nusantara (Merauke, Papua, Indonesia).

Nigerian NGOs and community leaders have filed a formal complaint with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil challenging the proposals of the palm oil transnational Wilmar International to expand its operations in Cross River State in the Southeast of the country.