London-based Forest Peoples Programme recently issued a report in which it claimed elements of Liberian concession agreements to be illegal. The report titled “Harmful Social and Environmental Impacts of Liberia Palm Oil Project Exposed” looked into palm oil company Golden Veroleum Liberia’s activities in the local communities of Grand Kru and Sinoe County. In a press release sent to GNN the NGO claimed that GVL’s procedures regarding Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) were highly inconsistent with relevant standards, including the Principles and Criteria of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and its parent company GAR’s Forest Conservation Policy (FCP). Despite its commitments to meeting high social and environmental standards, GVL’s track record of engaging with communities in its concession area shows a continuing disregard for FPIC and other social obligations in practice, while questioning whether such palm oil projects can ever be FPIC compliant.

http://www.gnnliberia.com/articles/2015/04/27/liberia-forest-peoples-requested-provide-answers