Sime Darby and land grabs in Liberia

The document details how Sime Darby's palm oil operations in Liberia violate national laws and international human rights, specifically regarding land grabs and the lack of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). It highlights environmental risks to the Upper Guinean Forest Ecosystem and lists European banks and pension funds providing financial support to the company.

• Sime Darby signed a 63-year lease agreement with the Liberian government on July 23, 2009, for a Gross Concession Area of 311,187 hectares, with a commitment to cultivate 220,000 hectares within 20 years.
• The company's contracts violate Liberian law, including a public lands law that limits leases to 50 years, and the award process failed to follow competitive bidding or public stakeholder consultation requirements.
• Sime Darby has failed to engage in free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) negotiations, leading to land clearing in Bomi County without community agreement and strong local opposition in Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount counties.
• Plantation activities have caused the loss of community farmlands, food insecurity, and the destruction of forests used for cultural practices, with no compensation paid to affected communities.
• Environmental assessments indicate that operations risk the loss of biodiversity in the Upper Guinean Forest Ecosystem, including endangered bird species, and may reduce carbon storage by clearing closed forests with more than 40 per cent tree cover.
• European financial institutions have provided significant funding to Sime Darby, including 280 million euro in loans and 250 million euro in new bonds; major shareholders include the Norwegian Government Pension Fund - Global and the British asset manager Schroder Investment Management.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2013). Sime Darby and land grabs in Liberia. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Factsheet_Sime_Darby_Liberia.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. Sime Darby and land grabs in Liberia. 2013. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Factsheet_Sime_Darby_Liberia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=Sime Darby and land grabs in Liberia |date=June 2013 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Factsheet_Sime_Darby_Liberia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2013sime, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{Sime Darby and land grabs in Liberia}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2013}, month = jun, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Factsheet_Sime_Darby_Liberia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }