The organisations said they had the right to expose the realities faced by the indigenous communities due to the impact of palm oil cultivation.
“Together, we wanted to explore potential reforms in our countries and the industry so that palm oil production brings genuine development — not exploitation, deforestation, land grabbing and impoverishment.
“Yet, we’ve witnessed representatives of the palm oil industry labelling us in the media as ‘toxic entities’ and condemning our efforts to expose the realities as a ‘black campaign’.
“We, representatives of environmental justice, human rights, women and youth bodies, and indigenous peoples’ organisations, categorically condemn these statements,” the group said.
The group comprises Green Development Advocates (Cameroon), Instituto de estudios para el desarrollo y la paz — Indepaz (Colombia), Alianza Ceibo (Ecuador), Young Volunteers for the Environment (Ghana), Action Aid (Guatemala), Auriga (Indonesia), Ecoton (Indonesia), Elsam (Indonesia), Institut Dayakologi (Indonesia), Link-AR Borneo (Indonesia), Oppuk Indonesia Serbundo (Indonesia), Sarumpun (Indonesia), Seruni (Indonesia), Setara Jambi (Indonesia), Tuk Indonesia (Indonesia), Walhi Kalimantan Barat (Indonesia), Yayasan Masyarakat Kehutanan Lestari (Indonesia), Yayasan Pusaka (Indonesia), Sustainable Development Institute (Liberia), Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (Malaysia), Sabah Environment Protection Association (Malaysia), Federacion de Comunidades Nativas De Ucayali y Afluentes — Feconau (Peru), and National Movement for Justice and Development (Sierra Leone).
They had gathered here in Sabah to share their experiences with the palm oil sector and its impact on the communities, territories and Sabahans.
On Feb 4, Malaysian palm oil industry officials had urged the government to take action against environmental groups critical of the commodity, with one executive calling them “toxic entities”.
The group said the palm oil players wanted to hide the impact of their business on the local communities and environment.
However, the group said it would stand firm in their right to expose the realities in the global palm oil industry.
“We call on all oil palm companies to uphold their duty to respect environmental limits and human rights, including our right to freedom of expression.
“Together, we remind our governments that their first obligation is to respect, protect and promote the rights of their people.
“They should not remain insensitive to the plight of local communities struggling to survive the impact of the palm oil industry, and they should not become complicit in human rights abuses for the sake of palm oil profit,” the group said.
The group said they are not against palm oil, but they cannot accept the reckless environmental destruction and rampant human rights abuses that accompany palm oil production.
“Instead of name-calling and censorship, we welcome genuine, good-faith discussions with governments and palm oil companies who take their environmental and human rights obligations seriously,” it said.