More than 190 indigenous peoples’, environmental and human rights organisations from 62 countries came together on Thursday 27 January to call on the EU to close a loophole in the proposed November 2021 regulation on imported deforestation: it does not impose restrictions on products linked to rights violations as defined by international standards.
“The Commission’s approach risks failing if it does not also protect the customary land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, who are among the most effective protectors of forests”, the organisations warn in an open letter made public.
While welcoming the proposal to restrict products linked to global deforestation from entering the EU market, they urge EU policymakers “to include a requirement for companies to respect land rights”.
The proposal for a regulation was recently discussed by the EU Environment Ministers (see EUROPE 12878/15, 12874/2).
Signatories to the letter include NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and FERN and 22 indigenous organisations from 33 countries, including key EU trading partners such as Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the main producers of soy, palm oil and rubber imported by the EU. These groups represent hundreds of thousands of indigenous peoples.
See the letter: https://bit.ly/3rSQpxY (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)