From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, has tasked officials of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, RSPO, to live up to their billings in ensuring that the right of the host communities where palm oil companies exist are protected.
RSPO was established in 2004 with the objective of promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil products through global standards and multi-stakeholder governance.
Rita Uwaka, Programme Manager, Forest & Biodiversity, ERA/FoEN, gave the task during a Civil Society Organizations and community engagements on RSPO certification, with the theme “Strengthening CSOs Capacity to Challenge Voluntary Certification Scheme that Destroys Forests, Degrade Environment and Fuel Community Rights Violations” in Benin.
She alleged that the RSPO had lost it its relevance hence it promotes communities rights violations; forest destruction; land grabbing by oil palm companies and impoverishing the people.
Uwaka alleged that RSPO had lost it its relevance hence it promotes communities rights violations; forest destruction; land grabbing by oil palm companies and impoverishing the people.
The community engagements on RSPO certification event held in Benin has its theme: ‘Strengthening CSOs Capacity to Challenge Voluntary Certification Scheme that Destroys Forests, Degrade Environment and Fuel Community Rights Violations.’
Uwaka alleged further that the oil palm companies are using the certification to undermine the rights of host communities; pollute the environment through the use of chemicals without meeting international standards guidelines.
According to her “RSPO has grave social environmental impacts. This certification is like licensing forest destruction; it promotes communities rights violations, it promotes pollution of our environment, because these companies continue to use deadly chemicals, and they don’t follow international standards for chemical applications.
“Oil palm companies are taking advantage of RSPO to grab more land and cut more forest down, which also has negative impacts on the environment.
“Certification is a bad idea or not solution, because it does not prevent harms. Because these companies are certified, a lot of environmental harms are being done to our communities.
“Certification is deceptive though looks attractive, but it does not address the concern we have been putting forward,” she added.
She added that, RSPO is not neural nor independent as it ought to be, saying the companies they (RSPO) ought to regulate are the ones catering for all their wellbeing in terms of hosting them and moving them from one location to another, asking that “how can such regulatory body be neural and transparent.”
In his speech, Executive Director, ERA/FoEN, Barrister China Williams, said his environmental organisation was poised in fighting against any kind of human rights violations by oil palm companies or any other company.
He further warned host communities not to involve in anything that is against the law, saying “he that must come to equity must come with clean hands.
Speaking also, immediate past coordinator general, Edo Civil Society Organizations (EDOCSO), Comrade Omobude Agho, urged the host communities where palm oil companies reside to avail ERA/FoEN and the civil society organizations in the state the information on how they have been maltreated by these companies.
For Mrs. Joan Obazee, chairperson, National Association of Women Farmers, Edo State chapter, she lamented that their farm lands have been taken away by these palm oil companies all in the name of expansion.
Host Communities that were invited for the enlightenment are: Odiguetue, Obaretin, Aifesoba and Uroho communities.