Problem statement
From 2024 to 2025, OSAPY, with the support of RRI via the Interlaken Group, promotes due diligence of companies whose concessions occupy ancestral community lands — notably PHC (formerly Feronia) — and supports Indigenous peoples and local communities in the province of Equateur for community monitoring and inclusive political dialogue (CLIP, land rights, livelihoods).
The Interlaken Group assessment (October 2025) confirms challenges (environmental pressures, overlapping rights, land conflicts) and opportunities (collective security, local governance, CSR, corporate → investor chain of responsibility).
Targeted provinces:
- Ecuador : strong climate and biodiversity potential, multiple concessions (agriculture, carbon, palm oil).
- Boss : ~20 Mha of forest, deforestation hotspots, 11 CFCL, mining and forestry pressure, PHC expansion (Basoko, Lokutu, Lokumete).
- Mai-Ndombe : CAVRE pilot / World Bank (4% in PA/CL), ERA/WWC carbon project (Inongo, since 2012).
Objective
To guarantee respect for the land and human rights of PA/CL in the face of companies and to promote their traditional know-how in order to ensure their access to means of subsistence and the improvement of their living conditions and their spiritual and physical well-being.
Expected results
- Strengthening the capacities of indigenous, women and local leaders, administration experts and local parliamentarians (community monitoring, SVL);
- Effective community monitoring for 3 carbon companies (Taranis, ERA/WWC, ERPA World Bank), PHC (Boteka, Lokutu), 3 forestry companies (Cokibafode, Somifor, Mégabois) — violations documented and published;
- Shared offline/online database (RRI alliance);
- 3 to 4 companies integrate due diligence and SVL;
- Multi-stakeholder dialogue framework (MARC) operational by provincial capital (Equateur, Tshopo, Maï-Ndombe);
- SVL follow-up sessions and missions;
- Legal assistance for 3 communities, at least 2 favorable judgments;
- 120 women PA/CL trained in rural micro-entrepreneurship (60 Equateur, 30 Tshopo, 30 Maï-Ndombe).
Strategy
- Strengthen or build capacities on community monitoring/surveillance (Kobo Collect, GPS, Mapfield…).
- Operationalize the monitoring of the companies concerned in the three provinces.
- Annual inter-village forums on the impact of businesses.
- Forming the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Framework (SVL, SPANB).
- Semi-annual SVL verification missions.
- Mediation workshops (MARC) and annual sessions by province.
- Community radio broadcasts on the conclusions of the sessions.
- Legal assistance is available upon request from the communities.
- Training and support for 120 women on the NTFP value chain.
- Mid-term (2 years) and final assessment.
Partners / Funding: RRI, CLARIFI, Groupe Interlaken.