28/09/2012 (Borneo Post) - Over 100 distinguished speakers from stakeholders across the palm oil sector will gather for the landmark 10th Annual Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT10) in Singapore from October 30 to November 1.

In a press statement, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) stated that the three-day RT10, themed ‘10 Years of Driving Sustainability. A Business Model for the Future’, would address topical issues and challenges facing the palm oil industry.

“Delegates from over 32 countries around the globe have registered to attend the RT10, from all sectors including oil palm producers, palm oil processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks and investors, environment non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social or developmental NGOs; as well as from embassies, academic institutions and research organisations.

“To further promote international co-operation and acknowledge the effectiveness and importance of the multi-stakeholder approach in addressing various pressing global challenges, RT10 will introduce an interesting plenary session, ‘Multi Stakeholders Initiative – CEO Forum of Roundtable’,” RSPO stated.

The statement added that Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam would grace the event as guest of honour.

The panel would gather high-level representatives from various sustainability and environmental roundtables and nongovernmental organisations including the secretary general of the RSPO Darrel Webber, executive director of the Round Table for Responsible Soy Association Agustin Mascotena, Asian regional director of the Forest Stewardship Council Alistair Monument and executive secretary of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels Sebastien Haye.

“As the RSPO annual roundtable marks its tenth year, we must recognise that this initiative could not have gone far without the multi-stakeholder representation within the RSPO. The roundtable has provided a valuable platform for the harmonising of varying interests to serve one common vision of making sustainable palm oil the norm.

“RT10 will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders in the palm oil industry to come together to reaffirm their support for sustainable palm oil, not only for environmental reasons, but for business continuity of the entire sector,” said Webber.