In March 2019, the RSPO Board of Governors (BoG) endorsed the RSPO Governance Review for ‘Reorganisation of Standing Committees, Task Forces and Working Groups’ where the Market Development Standing Committee (MDSC) is to be established, via a Terms of Reference (ToR) and work programmes of the RSPO Secretariat.
The MDSC shall advise on the critical objectives below and develop strategies that address these priorities:
- Demand generation, commitment and uptake
- Shared responsibility for aligning supply and demand
- Engagement of the supporting sustainable palm oil sector
- Traceability of the palm oil supply chain
- Trademark and Communication Rules
- Marketing Communications
- Regional Market Development – with a focus on Asia/Pacific, Europe and the Americas
- Supporting the Annual Communication on Progress (ACOP) reporting process, particularly as it relates to the data requirements for the ACOP and communication of the results.
The mandate of the MDSC is as follows:
- To oversee and provide the necessary recommendations and/or guidance during the development process of any relevant RSPO standards and/or guidances;
- To ensure the development of RSPO standards and guidance complies to the appropriate procedures and best practices, including but not limited to compliance with the ISEAL Alliance Standards and the RSPO Standard Operating Procedure for Standard Setting and Review;
- To make the decision throughout the development process of the RSPO standards and relevant and/or associated documents;
- To ensure that all due process (i.e. balanced representation of stakeholders in the Working Group(s)/Task Force(s), RSPO Code of Conduct, the principles of the Theory of Change, compliance to ISEAL Standards etc.) are respected and adhered to;
- To approve relevant RSPO document(s) for BoG endorsement.
The following composition is proposed for the MDSC and strives for a balanced representation from stakeholder groups and global/regional presence.
| Sector |
Division |
Total |
| Grower |
Malaysia |
1 |
| Indonesia |
1 |
| RoW |
1 |
| Smallholder |
1 |
| NGO |
Environmental |
2 |
| Social |
2 |
| Supply Chain |
Processor & Trader |
1 |
| Consumer Goods Manufacturer |
1 |
| Retailer |
1 |
| Financial Institution |
1 |
| TOTAL |
12 |
Following best practices, independent experts and other key stakeholders may be invited to provide input.
We wish to invite interested individuals representing the above-mentioned categories to join the Standing Committee. The ToR of the Market Development Standing Committee are available for download below.
The call for participation and/or nomination closes 5pm (GMT+8), 12 July 2019. Kindly contact Dan Strechay ([email protected]) if you would like to participate, to submit a nomination, or if you require further information.
