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The referenced Mongabay article contains a range of allegations reported by the UN Rapporteurs including human and environmental abuses, allegations of land grabbing, and violence against protestors. We would like to both make some clarifications and straighten out these allegations.

We want to clarify firstly, that if an organization raises a complaint of this type with the UN Human Rights Commission, then there are very clear set of protocols in place to put those complaints to the organization concerned and also a clear procedure on how and who will respond. The complaint was published, and subsequently, within a clear deadline, so was the response. This process is within the role of the UN Rapporteurs; an independent body assigned to the task of investigation. So, we must clarify that it would be incorrect to state that “a complaint was made by the UN…”. A series of allegations were made by third parties, which then went through the investigative process. To date there has been no further investigation.

In response to your queries:

• The process followed by the UN’s Special Rapporteurs is very clear and is adhered to scrupulously. As an UN body of which the Indonesian Government is a member of, the communications route is through the embassy and government channels, and it is the relevant government that has the duty to respond to the accusation and not the company. The response from the Government of Indonesia was published on the UN Website and can be accessed via the following link : https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=38801
• Facts on the environmental claims have been clarified in an EcoNusantara (ENS) Verification Report (https://www.astra-agro.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2023-10-30-ENS-Final-Report-AAL-Cases-in-C-Sulawesi-ENG.pdf). ENS is an independent third party that carried out the independent field verification, whose appointment was based on the inputs from key stakeholders.
• We have launched the Action Plan on 20 June 2024, to address recommendations from the ENS report. Progress updates have been published regularly on our website and we have openly invited stakeholders to view the progress on the ground. (https://www.astra-agro.co.id/en/statements/)
• Accusations of violence have been dealt with in the Verification Report. However, it is important to emphasise that AAL does not use violence against communities, and moreover has no security personnel in place to carry out such activities. This has also been clarified in the Verification Report, as well as several other publications since then (here, here, here).

AAL has provided its response to the Government of Indonesia, as is required by the protocol. That response was conveyed by the Government of Indonesia and the Indonesian Ambassador in Geneva, to the Rapporteurs in timely manner. AAL also responded officially to the news of the report through a statement published on our website on 20 December 2024 (https://www.astra-agro.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AAL-repeats-its-open-door-offer-to-Friends-of-the-Earth-and-Walhi.pdf). All of the assertions made by Walhi in the Mongabay article were addressed in that response.

On other allegations:

Regarding a report by Friends of the Earth that alleges “17 AAL subsidiaries’ concessions overlap with 17,664 hectares of Indonesia’s forest estate,” we have provided a full response, which is publicly available on our website and can be accessed via the following link : https://www.astra-agro.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Response-to-the-Genesis-Foundation-research-report-entitled-Astra-Agro-Lestari-Encroaches-on-Indonesian-Forest-AreasApril-2-2024.pdf. This document serves as our formal rebuttal to the allegations presented in the Bengkulu Genesis Foundation’s report. We straightened all claims of deforestation, which we assert are based on incomplete data and a failure to consult with our company for verification. Our response systematically addresses the report’s methodological flaws, underscores our strict adherence to legal and regulatory requirements, and highlights the critical role of historical and policy context in evaluating land use in Indonesia.

We reiterate that AAL and its subsidiaries operate in accordance and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in Indonesia. We take these allegations seriously and are handling them carefully in a transparent manner. We want to take this opportunity once again to remind all stakeholders from civil society that our door remains open, and we are willing to sit down and discuss any and all concerns without any preconditions. We have made this offer frequently over recent months, and remain hopeful of a positive response.

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