As part of its international advocacy against the expansion of oil palm plantations, CALG has co-organized with CFDT a seminar on the theme. CFDT stands for French Democratic Confederation of Labour; it is one of the five major French confederations and trade unions in France.
A CALG delegation, composed by representatives of the three main ethnic groups of Palawan (Tagbanua, Pala’wan and Batak), has spoken at the seminar and shared its own experiences on the adverse impact of oil palm development in the Philippines. Other speakers included members of different NGOs, such as Amnesty International, WWF, FNE (France Nature Environment), as well as corporate stakeholders and academicians from the University of Kent and other institutions.
The Video proceedings of the whole conference are available in French.
The Video documentation of CALG presentation in English, with bits and pieces in Philippine local languages (Tagalog, Batak and Pala’wan) is also viewable on line.
The seminar has be carried out in conjunction with a cultural event and artistic installation on the Batak culture aiming at raising: a) public awareness on the challenges that Batak forest custodians are presently facing in protecting their ancestral domain; b) solidarity funds to support Batak community-based initiatives and advocacy actions.
A photo-book on Batak culture was also presented during the event, and the proceedings of its sale have been totally devolved to the Batak community of Tanabag.