Taking forward the work that already has been undertaken as part of this partnership, CRB had proposed the following areas for 2022-23 period: 

1. a) IVPA – CRB – RSPO Partnership 
2. b) Strengthen I-SPOC:

• Coordination, Institutional and Governance systems 
• Strategic Outreach to Industry Actors
• Engagement with Ecosystem Actors 

– Relevant Policymakers

– Financial Institutions 

1. c) Partnership for CRB 9th Annual Sustainability Conference (ISS 2022)

1. a) IVPA – CRB – RSPO Partnership

CRB and RSPO has established a partnership with the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers Association (IVPA) to conceptualise and develop a first industry-led Sustainable Palm Oil international conference, referred to as SPINS 2023. As part of the current partnership, CRB and RSPO will work with IVPA to conceptualise the 2023 edition of this event, particularly in terms of the overall objective; agenda; speakers; dignitaries and communication. It is estimated that SPINS 2023 will be held in July or August 2023. The preparatory work will also include finalising the date and venue of the event and undertake social media outreach. 

1. b) Strengthen I-SPOC

1) Coordination, Institutional and Governance systems

CRB acts as the Secretariat of I-SPOC and will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the coalition, among others in terms of: 

• Coordinating and organising various meetings of the coalition including: 

1. Monthly Founders Meetings; 
2. Steering Committee Meetings (3 per year) and 
3. Members’ Meetings (3 per year) 

• Organising two Capacity Building events and two Open Days (for Members and Observers of I-SPOC) • Supporting the 3 Working Group chairs and co-chairs as needed 
• Developing three blogs by experts (members/Steering Committee/Founders) or others 
• Augmenting the visibility of the coalition through the social media

1. Share posts (up to 50) across all social media handles o Increasing engagement with existing and potential followers (through LinkedIn community and other mediums) 
2. Growing the number of followers on LinkedIn (over 1000) 

• Continuing to strengthen key institutional and governance elements of the coalition, in consultation with the Steering Committee members to enhance the ability of the coalition to meet the needs and aspirations of the members and other key stakeholders

Strategic Outreach to Industry Actors

CRB will ensure strategic and targeted outreach by I-SPOC to various industry actors (up to 20) and related stakeholders (up to 25) thereby building the visibility of the coalition in India and beyond. In addition to engaging one to one, CRB will also ensure that I-SPOC’s visibility is built with the wider FMCG industry, through I-SPOC’s representation in important industry events/meetings (participate in up to 4 such events/meetings over the course of this partnership) and sharing experience of the coalition. 

Engagement with Ecosystem Actors

• In this year of the partnership, CRB an RSPO will engage specifically with two important ecosystem actors: Policymakers and Financial institutions (building on the work done in the current partnership). An overview of activities with these two sets of actors is provided in this section. 

• Relevant Policymakers In 2021-22, CRB developed five Policy Input Note (PIN) on the following topics 

• Domestic Production and its impact on Climate and Biodiversity Conservation 

• Labour and Human Rights – Social impact on Domestic Production

•  Sustainable Public Procurement strategies for Palm Oil use by PSUs in India

•  Role of Finance in promoting Uptake of Sustainable Palm Oil in India 

• Ensuring Sustainability Standards in Palm Oil- The potential of India’s bilateral and regional trade negotiations 

Based on these PINs, CRB will: 

• identify relevant actors in Government of India (GoI) and initiate discussions on these topics with 3-4 different Ministries/Agencies of GoI.
• organize 2 interactions with relevant industry actors, either one to one or in small groups
• Financial Institutions In 2021-22, CRB developed a Practitioner’s Guide: Mitigating Potential Risks in Financing Agro-Commodities in India with special reference to Palm Oil. In the proposed partnership CRB will: 
• Disseminate the Practitioners Guide to relevant financial sector actors (up to 30)
• Organize 2 meetings to discuss and plan application of the Practitioners Guide with sector stakeholders (like NABARD, ADB, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, SBI Mutual Funds amongst others) 
• Continue engaging with financial institutions through the Financial Institutions Working Group of I-SPOC and recruit up to 5 members from FIs as I-SPOC members

Partnership for ISS 2022 

RSPO was the ‘Lead Partner’ at the CRB 2022 annual sustainability conference – India and Sustainability Standards 2022 (ISS 2022) that was held 2nd to 4th November 2022 in Delhi. RSPO CEO was invited to speak on the Inaugural Day of the event. A session was organised specifically on addressing sustainable palm oil – uptake and opportunities in India, comprising national and international experts. RSPO received branding and positioning as a Lead Partner at this event.