CSO statement

The document is a call to action from a coalition of civil society, smallholders' and Indigenous Peoples' organisations directed at EU Ministers, Commissioners, and Members of the European Parliament. It advocates for a robust EU regulation on deforestation-free products to protect biodiversity, climate, and human rights, outlining ten specific requirements for the law to be considered effective.

• The signatories demand a comprehensive list of commodities covered by the regulation, specifically naming cattle, cocoa, coffee, soy, oil palm, wood, rubber, maize, sheep, goat and pig meat, and poultry, along with their derived products.
• The organisations call for strict definitions of "deforestation" and "forest degradation" at the EU level, immediate protection for "other wooded land", and a commitment to extend this protection to peatlands, wetlands, and savannahs within one year.
• The statement advocates for mandatory due diligence for operators and large traders based on geolocation for all plots of land, with equivalent obligations for EU-based financial institutions.
• The coalition requests the inclusion of protections for internationally-recognised human rights, with a specific focus on the rights of environmental and human rights defenders, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
• The signatories propose a strong enforcement framework featuring mandatory minimum compliance checks, uniform and dissuasive penalties, and a cut-off date for compliance no later than 31 December 2019.

APA

ClientEarth (2022). CSO statement. https://www.clientearth.org/media/xstbtc1q/cso-statement_en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. CSO statement. 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/xstbtc1q/cso-statement_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=CSO statement |date=18 October 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/xstbtc1q/cso-statement_en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2022cso, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{CSO statement}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/xstbtc1q/cso-statement_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }