WWF’S PARTICIPATION IN THE FIRST MEETING OF APRIL’S STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

© WWF-Indonesia / Yunaidi Joepoet

WWF’S PARTICIPATION IN THE FIRST MEETING OF APRIL’S STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

26 Mar 2014
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Jakarta – The first meeting of APRIL’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) was held on March 20-21, 2014. As one of the SAC’s members, WWF-Indonesia is involved to provide inputs for the implementation of the Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP) of Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL).

The public statment made by APRIL on the SAC (24/03) missed to mention one key role that SAC should play in the observation of the SFMP implementation. It has positioned SAC as a stakeholder-based committee to approve APRIL plan to fill its supply gap until 2019.There should be more on what is expected from SAC's role, and how APRIL will regard SAC recommendation and direction in their operations.

The involvement of WWF in the SAC does not imply endorsement by WWF of the SFMP.

WWF maintains its position that APRIL SFMP needs to be strengthened:

  1. There must be clear and concrete plan to speed up the use of 100% raw materials derived from plantation, which deadline is towards 2019. And this must not be translated that up to 2019 APRIL is allowing themselves in using MHW.
  2. A concrete and measurable adoption of EPN milestones at full, and APRIL also should put moratorium on potential HCS areas.
  3. The SFMP needs to cover the whole Royal Golden Eagle Group (RGE), which also owns and manage the controversial Toba Pulp Lestari.

APRIL should also recognize that they will do their best in applying SAC recommendations and provide transparent and full explanation should they fail to implement part or some directions that SAC recommend.

WWF strongly reiterates that participation in the SAC is not preventing us in conducting our mission, including aside from our role in SAC to publicly criticize APRIL's miss conduct and any miss interpret their own SFMP. WWF also maintain an option to revoke our participation in SAC at any time should SAC does not meet the conditions on its roles to monitor and improve the implementation of APRIL SFMP.

With NGOs in coalitions such as Eyes on the Forest (EoF) and Relawan Pemantau Hutan Kalimantan (RPHK), WWF is committed to continue monitor the practice of APRIL and its operations on the ground.

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APRIL