The Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) was held on 11 April 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Darmin Nasution, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, and H.E. Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Malaysia.
The Ministers agreed on the Joint Communiqué, which also provided responses to the European Parliament Resolution on Palm Oil and Deforestation of Rainforests. The Ministers expressed grave concern on the Resolution which has negative repercussions on palm oil trade. Both Ministers also expressed disappointment on a number of issues. For example, European Parliament recommendation to develop a single certification system basically ignores existing certification schemes that have been developed by producer countries, such as ISPO and MSPO. Moreover, false allegation that perceives global palm oil production breaching fundamental human rights and adequate social standards neglects the reality that palm oil is an important economic enabler and provides employment opportunities and vital income for poor communities.
CPOPC members underlined that environmental issues should not be used as a tool for discrimination and a disguised restriction to trade. Such measures run counter to the general principle of open, rules-based, as well as free and fair international trade.
The Ministers discussed recent development on global palm oil industry and agreed on concrete steps to address challenges faced by palm oil producers in terms of trade barriers and sustainability criteria. The Parties have also discussed CPOPC strategy and policy direction to attain sustainable palm oil.
The Ministers highlighted the importance of multistakeholders approach to further improve sustainability and acceptance of palm oil in the global market. In this vein, CPOPC is planning to organize dialogues to exchange views with stakeholders, such as smallholders, private sectors, palm oil importing countries, and NGOs. The next Ministerial Meeting is scheduled to be held in December 2017.
