The Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), a Liberian non-governmental organization, writes to file a complaint on behalf of three hundred and sixty-three (363) households in eleven (11) villages
affected by the expansion of the Equatorial Palm Oil (EPO) plantation expansion in District Number 4, Grand Bassa County. The complainants, with a total of two thousand and one hundred
(2,100) dependents claim as follows:
Equatorial Palm Oil (EPO) has already cleared some of their customary land and planted oil palm on the cleared land without their consent.
EPO plans to survey additional land within their customary land area in order to clear it and plant with oil palm. EPO wants to expand its plantation further onto their customary land.
This complaint is linked to RSPO Criterion 2.2 which states:
“The right to use the land can be demonstrated, and is not legitimately contested by local communities with demonstrable rights” [emphasis added]; and
RSPO Criterion 2.3 which states:
“use of the land for oil palm does not diminish the legal rights, or customary rights,of other users, without their free, prior and informed consent” [emphasis added].
In view of the above, they have resolved as follows:
1. EPO should not conduct any survey or clear any more of their customary land.
2. EPO should stop where it has already cleared and planted oil palm.
3. EPO should not extend any further onto our customary land.