GA23

It is a genuine honour to welcome you all to Jakarta for the 23rd RSPO General Assembly. Our annual gatherings are essential to our global partnership, as a chance to renew our collective commitment and strengthen the bonds that hold our community together. Being in Indonesia, the world’s leading producer of palm oil, we are reminded of the sheer urgency of climate action and finding meaningful solutions to build resilience in our global food security.

We come together at a defining moment for the RSPO. Once again, our membership has surpassed a new milestone, now standing at more than 6,300 members across 100 countries and territories. More than two decades since our founding, that growth reflects what we have built together: a robust organisation with a common vision to transform the palm oil industry. The path has not always been easy, but the results speak for themselves: credible and robust Standards, rigorous certification systems, and improved digital infrastructure that keeps us in step with rapid technological changes.

We remain future-focused. Last year, we took a bold step in improving our governance structure, by reaching consensus to introduce a new Executive Committee (ExCo). Anchored in governance-level expertise, the ExCo is strengthening our key functions – finance, human resources, and digital transformation – to align RSPO with global best practices and sharpen our operational efficiency.

Alongside this, we adopted a new three-year operational plan built on four pillars: aiming to transform how we work, improve our membership experience, grow our markets, and strengthen our assurance and certification systems for sustainable palm oil.

Above all, we are listening to our members. We are committed to making sure that every effort, from boardroom decisions to work on the ground, delivers impactful change for a more sustainable sector. We continue to provide guidance in navigating an increasingly complex global landscape of sustainability legislation. And we are sharpening our tools to support our members as they act on the climate emergency, and strengthen protections for the rights of smallholder farmers and their communities.

We know this is no easy feat. But as we have also seen, year after year, RSPO’s strength lies in our multi-stakeholder collaboration. Though we come from different parts of the value chain, with varying perspectives, our shared conviction to transform such a vital commodity continues to push us forward to reach new successes and milestones.

As always, we are grateful for your continued engagement and support. We look forward to welcoming you in Jakarta.

Anne Rosenbarger and José Roberto Montenegro Baide
Co-Chairpersons, RSPO GA23

It is a deep honour to gather once again with the RSPO global partnership for our 23rd General Assembly in Jakarta. As the world’s leading palm oil producer, Indonesia plays a central role in our mission, and I wish to thank our Indonesian members and partners for graciously opening their doors as we come together to chart RSPO's path forward.

With each passing year, RSPO’s membership growth continues to gain momentum. As of July 2026, we reached a new milestone with 6,387 members, spanning 100 countries and territories. Our global reach remains wide and diverse, and together, we continue to cultivate our engagement in key markets and emerging regions.

This year, we moved forward on several fronts: we have implemented the 2024 Principles and Criteria (P&C) 2024, following the 2024 Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard that was introduced in the previous year. A number of countries are actively developing National Interpretations of the RSPO Standards – a concerted effort that is vital to ensuring that our global standards are adapted to local realities. And we continue to support our members with prisma, our digital trade and traceability platform, as sustainability legislation tightens around the world.

Following last year's GA resolution to amend our Statutes, we introduced a new governance structure for the RSPO. We saw the creation of an Executive Committee (ExCo), promising a more efficient organisation underpinned by professional expertise and sharper operational oversight. We have a clearer roadmap for the years ahead — RSPO’s Three-Year Operating Plan aims to transform how we work, improve the experience of our members, grow our markets, and strengthen the way we certify sustainable palm oil.

As we write the next chapter of our unfolding sustainable palm oil story, I wish to express my gratitude for the dedication and ambition of our global fellowship, from the board rooms to the fields, as we push toward our goals by 2030.

Here’s to a successful GA23!

Joseph JD D’Cruz
Chief Executive Officer, RSPO