Following individual supplier assessments in Sabah, IOI Group organised a capacity building workshop for all suppliers that were assessed.The technical workshop was conducted based on similar gaps found from the assessments of the suppliers conducted by Proforest.

Workshop details
A total of 40 participants from 11 companies attended the 2-day workshop. Speakers from Proforest, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA) and Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) were present to provide technical expertise on the following topics:

• HCV – WWF’s workshop included group activities to identify High Conservation Value (HCV) areas in different regions of Sabah. Suppliers were grouped based on location origin. WWF also shared the 2033 Sabah Structure plan which was launched by the state government at the end of Oct 2016.
• Peatland – MNS provided best management practice tools, explanation on peat and difficulties in managing peatland.
• Fire – The Global Forest Watch platform was used as a tool during the session conducted by Proforest and Indonesia’s Fire Free Alliance. The Fire-Free Village Programme was discussed as a case study.
• Labor – SEPA covered topics on FPIC, common labour issues and practices. Self-assessment by suppliers based on the ILO convention was useful as it created group discussions and awareness of various ratified and non-ratified laws.

The workshop was also attended by the IOI plantations team that shared field experiences on the ground. IOI highlighted the importance of filling gaps found in supplier’s supply chain and reiterated IOI Group’s continuous support to all suppliers in capacity building and sharing of technical expertise for this purpose. Certificates of attendance and goodie bags were distributed at the end of the workshop.