Sunday (28/1), the Civil Society Coordination Forum for Strengthening the ISPO and the Civil Society Representative Group for the Sustainable Palm Oil Industry assessed that the draft Presidential Regulation (Perpres) of the ISPO Certification System compiled in January 2018 could potentially be a step back further weakening the ISPO.

In a press statement on Sunday, January 28, 2018 the forum said that initially there was a fairly open dialogue between the government and stakeholders, including civil society involved by the government in discussing the Presidential Regulation on strengthening the ISPO. The discussion process has been running since June 2016, but since September 2017, civil society including stakeholders who were initially involved have had difficulty getting access to information about the progress of the process until the latest draft draft comes out in January 2018.

The Presidential Regulation draft in January 2018 is considered ignored the results and input from regional public consultations. Several important points have been issued from the Presidential Regulation draft in January 2018, such as the principles of traceability and human rights and certification obligations for plasma smallholders and self-help. This is a step back.

The Civil Society Coordination Forum for Strengthening the ISPO and the Civil Society Representative Group for the Sustainable Palm Oil Industry also stated in the 2018 draft version that it also eliminated regulations regarding the ISPO certification system, and reduced the position and role of independent monitors to be part of the certification committee, weakens the credibility of the system itself.

Civil society groups are calling on the government to discuss the draft ISPO presidential regulation transparently and participatively and there are improvements in the process and substance of the draft until the authorization of this Presidential Regulation.