Agribusiness & Human Rights

The European Directive and the Belgian bill on the duty of  diligence tested by the case of the company SIAT

Languages: English & French
Where: Entraide et Fraternité, 32 Rue du Gouvernement Provisoire, 1000 Brussels (Metro Madou) – Lunch will be provided
Registered online participants will receive a Zoom link prior to the date of the event
When: June 14, 10 AM – 12 PM CEST

FLYERS: English / French

SPEAKERS

• Gladys Omorefe Osaghae, former community leader, member of the Integrated Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (IRFAN), Nigeria
• Rita Uwaka, Forests and Biodiversity Programme Coordinator, Friends of the Earth-Africa, Nigeria
• Sinan Ouattara Issifou, President of the Alliance for Sustainable Development and the Environment (Alliance pour le développement durable et l’environnement – ADDE) Spokeperson for the King of Andoh, Ivory Coast
• Daleba Nahounou Pierre Lautti, Social Justice Coordinator, Jeunes Volontaires pour l’environnement (JVE), Ivory Coast
• Wisdom Koffi Adjawlo, Executive Director, Youth Volunteers for the Environment, Ghana
• Giuseppe Cioffo, Corporate Regulation Officer, CIDSE, Belgium
• Simon Rix, Advocacy Officer, SolSoc, Belgium

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SIAT (Société d’investissement pour l’agriculture tropicale) is a Belgian company specialised in the cultivation of rubber trees for the production of rubber and oil palm. With subsidiaries in five African and Asian countries, a parent company based in Zaventem, Belgium, and clients as well-known as Nestlé, Unilever, Michelin and Continental, the company’s impacts seem similar in Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. Communities accuse SIAT of land grabbing, violations of their rights, criminalisation of affected communities, environmental degradation and threats to the food sovereignty of people who depend on the land for their survival.

Last February, the European Commission published its proposal for a due diligence Directive on corporate responsibility for human rights and the environment. At the Belgian level, a proposal for a law on the duty of care of companies is on the table of the Parliament. Are these initiatives to regulate private actors with regard to their impact on human rights and the environment equal to the challenges on the ground?

  This event is co-founded by the European Union.  The contents are the sole responsibility of the organisers and the speakers and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.