Partners and RSPO Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Promote Social Compliance Systems

A Memorandum of Understanding between Partners of the Americas (Partners) and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), was signed on April 30, 2020. This memorandum was signed as a part of the Palma Futuro project, financed by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) to enhance Social Compliance Systems in the palm oil supply chain in Colombia and Ecuador.

The document establishes the bases for collaboration between Partners and RSPO to promote and disseminate good practices derived from the implementation of the Palma Futuro project. By implementing these practices in the Colombian palm oil supply chain, the agreement aims to reduce child labor and forced labor while promoting acceptable working conditions. The Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations also foresees the creation of a series of case studies on good practices in Social Compliance Systems in other palm oil-producing countries in Latin America, particularly Brazil and Peru, that will be presented at Harvard University.

#################################

Partners of the Americas (Partners) is an NGO based in Washington D.C. Founded in 1964, Partners works to create regional cooperation ties with the countries of the Americas to promote social development. Partners has worked in Colombia, in particular, for 50 years and has carried out work in the following areas: educational exchange programs, programs to combat child labor, programs to promote youth leadership, and programs to promote agriculture and food security.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a non-profit organization based in Malaysia, with the Ecuador office operating as the regional liaison for Latin America, that aims to unite all sectors of the palm oil industry and interested groups: producers, distributors, manufacturers and social and environmental NGOs. It has created a sustainable oil certification system (CSPO), which establishes criteria and audit systems that aim to promote various objectives: that oil production respects the rights of indigenous and labor communities, that new areas of high environmental value are not occupied, that biodiversity is not threatened, and that sustainable agricultural practices are promoted.