Jakarta, May 3, 2010 - The World Bank Group in Indonesia is launching a week-long consultation process for a new global strategy in the palm oil sector, by engaging a diverse group of important stakeholders. The consultations begin today in Medan, North Sumatra, and will be followed up with sessions in Pontianak, West Kalimantan and the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. The objectives of the consultations are to seek input on key challenges and opportunities facing the palm oil sector and our future work in the sector. We understand that addressing the challenges in the sector has to be a multilateral effort, and believe that each stakeholder group has experience and a role to play. Listening and learning from the experiences of stakeholders will be of great added value to the development of the World Bank Group's strategy in the palm oil sector. Moving forward, the consultations will also serve as a vehicle of a long term dialogue and partnership.
The palm oil sector in Indonesia, while a major source of employment and economic activity, also faces significant environmental and social challenges when sustainable practices are not followed. The World Bank Group seeks to promote sustainable practices in the sector that will benefit the poor and preserve forests, biodiversity and forest communities. In Indonesia, the consultations will be led by agronomist Cheng Hai Teoh from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, and will be facilitated by Jim Woodhill, the director of the Centre for Development Innovation at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
