The Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines has accepted a complaint against the Dutch logistics company HES International and the port authorities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam...

The complaint concerns the forced displacement of more than 59,000 people by right-wing paramilitary groups in the northern mining region of Cesar in Colombia. Since at least 2009, more than 100 million tons of coal linked to these displacements have been transported to and via the Netherlands.

The case was filed by the Asamblea Campesina del Cesar por la Restitución de Tierras y el Buen Vivir (Asamblea Campesina), representing victims of forced displacement, in collaboration with PAX and SOMO...

While the decision to accept the complaint does not determine whether the companies violated the guidelines, the Dutch NCP concluded that the issues raised in the complaint are “material and substantiated” and therefore deserve further investigation.

The NCP has offered to mediate between the companies and civil society organizations. While the complainants and the port authorities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam accepted the offer, HES refused mediation. As a result, the Dutch NCP will now investigate the issues raised in the complaint and issue a public statement with recommendations on HES’s compliance with the Guidelines...

Asamblea Campesina, PAX, and SOMO welcome the NCP’s decision. To date, most displaced victims have not received adequate compensation, and much of their land remains unlawfully expropriated.

Community members who defend their rights face daily threats from illegal armed groups. The mediation offer provides an opportunity for long-awaited redress...

After years of campaigning against the role of companies in blood coal, the Amsterdam City Council adopted several motions in October 2023...

[T]he complaint has also been filed against three major energy companies: RWE AG, Uniper SE, and Vattenfall AB... NCP decisions on whether or not to accept the complaint against these three energy companies are expected soon.

The NCP publications can be read below:

• https://www.oecdguidelines.nl/latest/news/2025/08/21/initial-assessment-asamblea-campesina-et-al-vs.-port-of-amsterdam
• https://www.oecdguidelines.nl/latest/news/2025/08/21/initial-assessment-asamblea-campesina-et-al-vs.-port-of-rotterdam
• https://www.oecdguidelines.nl/latest/news/2025/08/21/initial-assessment-asamblea-campesina-et-al-vs-hes

[Company responses to our request to comment on the complaint can be found in the timeline below.}