Ngopini Sawit#6 - Palm Oil Market Demand and Global Diplomacy

Background

Palm oil has been used by many countries as a basic ingredient for various products. Almost every aspect of daily human life involves these products. From cooking in the kitchen, bathing, body and beauty care, refuelling, Valentine's Day, to eating instant noodles. Everything, to a greater or lesser extent, is related to palm oil.

However, behind the close relationship between palm oil and human life, it is not uncommon for natural forests to become victims. In some cases, habitats for endangered species and high biodiversity are destroyed when converted into palm oil plantations. This includes plantations built on local communities' land without their knowledge, leading to some being forcibly evicted from their own land. This also involves violations of human rights and other issues.

Despite numerous reports on these cases, international organisations, government agencies and other interested organisations are now pushing for palm oil production and plantations to adopt sustainable principles. As a result, several companies and farmers have begun to adopt sustainable practices in the management of their plantations and palm oil production. 
 
Despite being hit by health and environmental issues that are stipulated by the European Union, which has put pressure on Indonesian palm oil exports to countries that are members of the European Union, demand for palm oil from Indonesia remains high. This is because the Indonesian palm oil market also includes non-EU European countries and America. In addition, the EFTA trade bloc (Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland) has agreed to resume trade cooperation in the palm oil sector following the Swiss referendum on palm oil exports and derivatives. This provides a breath of fresh air but also poses a challenge for Indonesia to produce sustainable palm oil. 
 
To learn more about the existing initiatives and agreements and how Indonesia's diplomacy is evolving in the international market, particularly regarding palm oil issues, Auriga Nusantara has made this the theme of its online discussion Ngopini Sawit #6: Palm Oil Market Demand and Global Diplomacy.

Speakers

1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia: Indonesia's Palm Oil Diplomacy Strategy.
2. Institute for Economic and Social Research (LPEM) at the University of Indonesia: Sustainability Standards for Indonesian Palm Oil Production.
3. Senior Policy Advisor at Kehati Foundation: Opportunities and Challenges in Palm Oil Trade between Indonesia and Europe.

Day and Date:

Date: March 25, 2021

Time: 10.00 - 12.00 WIB

Location: Auriga Nusantara Youtube Channel