GGGI Country Representative Marcel Selvius (standing) addresses a ceremony to sign an MOU on collaboration between GGGI and RSPO here on January 15, 2020 as RSPO CEO Darrel Webber (R) watches on.The world’s most recognized sustainable palm oil certification body, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) will collaborate with inter-governmental organization the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to promote sustainable palm oil.
“I do think that we have comparative advantages, RSPO and GGGI, and put the two together, we should really ramp up our impact in this sector and hopefully inspire the other sectors too,” RSPO Chief Executive Officer Darrel Webber said prior to signing an MOU on the collaboration with GGGI Indonesia country representative Marcel J. Selvius here on January 15, 2019.
Reading out a message by GGGI Deputy Secretary General Susanne Pedersen, Selvius said that as an inter-governmental organization that promotes green growth development, GGGI supported the commitments of the RSPO to stop deforestation, protect peatland, and enforce human rights and socially responsible development.
“GGGI is interested to leverage the lessons learned from the RSPO experience to develop and strengthen national palm oil certifications schemes and support our member countries to adopt and implement these lessons learned,” Selvius said.
In an announcement at the signing ceremony, RSPO said that it hoped the collaboration would enable it to work with palm oil producers, financial investors and other stakeholders in GGGI member countries to promote sustainable growth and production of palm oil, especially focusing on inclusiveness, by building sustainable models and helping to increase access to market for certified sustainable palm oil or CSPO.
“It is important that sustainable palm oil is being produced but it is also important that sustainable palm oil is being bought,” commented Selvius.
RSPO also it hoped that GGGI partner governments would be able to benefit from the lessons learned by the RSPO, to further strengthen policy frameworks in countries in where oil palm is grown in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The two organization will also work on the strategies to grow the market demand and commitment to CSPO in countries such as India and China, and also work on a process and mechanism for reducing Greenhouse gas emissions in the CSPO value chain.
Both organizations will also collaborate in protecting and restoring peatland in areas where oil palm is grown.