Liberia

The Swiss association of the largest public pension funds, has decided to exclude shares in the French group Bolloré SE. The exclusion is justified by “potential human rights violations in Liberia, Cambodia and Sierra Leone”.

L'association suisse des plus grandes caisses publiques de retraite a décidé d'exclure les actions du groupe français Bolloré SE "à la suite de violations potentielles des droits humains en Libéria, Cambodge et Sierra Leone".

Na verschillende terreinbezoeken aan plantages in Liberia en Kameroen, hebben onderzoekers aantijgingen bevestigd van seksuele intimidatie, oneigenlijk grondgebruik en oneerlijke wervingspraktijken aan het adres van het Belgisch-Luxemburgs palmoliebedrijf Socfin.

Earthworm Foundation visited the plantations run by Socfin’s subsidiaries, one in Liberia and the other in Cameroon, where communities and local and international organizations had raised serious allegations of sexual harassment, land grabs, pollution and unfair labor practices.

Socfin agrees that more needs to be done to further "reduce" communities' "concerns" and that some serious issues need immediate action

The Multi Actors Platform on Land Governance and Responsible Agricultural Investment in Liberia launches a series of programs including the Private Sector Engagement Strategy and the Responsible Agriculture Investment.

The accusation from Salala Rubber Corporation's affected communities comes as the IFC stands accused of ignoring past complaints against the corporation, which include land grabs, water pollution, and harassment.

A grievance assessment mission commissioned by Belgian oil palm and rubber company Socfin has been rejected by communities affected by the company’s operations in several African and Asian countries.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative to Liberia, Mariatou Njie, wants the government to serve as a gatekeeper in the area of agricultural investment.

Five men were arrested and beaten on accusations of stealing palm from GVL plantation, but they deny any wrongdoing.

For the past 13 years, 47-year-old farmer Saturday Wilson has been embroiled in a battle with a foreign oil palm plantation company over his farmland. It has placed him behind bars three times, but he still owns the land.

Communities say a SOCFIN subsidiary used a $10M loan from the World Bank's IFC to turn the forests where they’d farmed and held sacred rituals into a massive rubber plantation.