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 Standard Standing Committee (SSC) is to be established, via a Terms of Reference (ToR) and work programmes of the RSPO Secretariat.
It includes, but is not limited to, the development and/or revision of normative and relevant guidance documents related to the following:
- RSPO Principles, Criterias and Indicators
- National Interpretations
- Jurisdictional Approaches
- Biodiversity, High Conservation Values, High Carbon Stock Approach and No Deforestation
- Human Rights and Social Compliance
- Greenhouse Gas, Peatland and Climate Crisis
The SSC is also responsible for the following outputs:
- Identify gaps or grey areas within the RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) and Indicators that require clarification for the ease of practical applicability for RSPO members.
- Ensure the interpretation of the Criteria, Indicators and Guidance for the various socio-environmental conditions under which palm oil is produced is clear and concise, without compromising the P&C and definition of certified sustainable palm oil.
- Provide clarity concerning RSPO Standards for its members, when needed.
- Ensure the realisation of the RSPO Theory of Change strategic goals.
The mandate of the SSC 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 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 processes (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 Alliance Standards etc.) are respected and adhered to;
- To approve relevant RSPO document(s) for BoG endorsement.
The following composition is proposed for the SSC 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 |
We wish to invite interested individuals representing the above-mentioned categories to join the SSC. The ToR of the SSC are available for download below.
The call for participation and/or nomination closes 5pm (GMT+8), 12 July 2019. Kindly contact Julia Majail ([email protected]) if you would like to participate, to submit a nomination, or if you require further information.
