This report provides a comprehensive overview of the conference “Just Transition in the Palm Oil Sector – International Solidarity and Socio-ecological Transformation” held from the 3rd to the 4th of December 2024 in Bern, Switzerland. It was a follow-up to the conference “Just Transition in the Palm Oil Industry” held from the 26th to the 29th of November 2023 in Sambas, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Download the report: 2025 Just Transition Conference Report
The conference was held in Bern because major global corporations linked to palm oil, such as Nestlé, are based in Switzerland. Swiss banks are among the leading financiers of palm oil and the world’s largest pesticide producer, Syngenta, is also based there. For this reason, Swiss civil society organisations have long been critical of the ecological destruction caused by the industry.
Three key organisations from Swiss civil society – Relief organization of the Evangelical Reformed Church Switzerland (HEKS/EPER), Solidar Suisse and Pro Natura hosted the conference. The conference took place at the centre of the Swiss Trade Union Confederation, UNIA.
Participants included trade unionists, palm oil workers, activists, development and human rights organisations, environmentalists, researchers and students from Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Liberia, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany. The aim of this follow-up conference was to introduce the perspective of Just Transition in the palm oil industry to a European audience and to exchange perspectives and build transnational solidarity for a socially and ecologically just transformation of the palm oil industry.
For the previous 2023 Conference Report, visit here 2023 International Conference on Just Transition in Palm Oil Industry: Meeting Report