[Green Resources responded to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invitation saying that we could use the same response they had sent to an Open Letter sent by Justiça Ambiental and WRM on 4 October 2016]

Green Resources (GR) Responds to Open Letter Calling for 'an end to the expansion of forest plantation activities', 4 October 2016

On...30th September 2016 Green Resources received a letter at its Maputo Offices (...written to GRAS, Portucel and cc'd the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Agriculture of Mozambique), from a group of NGOs led by Justiça Ambiental and WRM. The letter promoted a campaign against the development of forest plantations in Mozambique. Green Resources then wrote a response to this letter which can be found here, and a transcript is provided below...The letter highlights GR as one of the most active companies having acquired land use rights in three provinces, Nampula, Niassa and Zambézia of Mozambique...GR...commits to adhering to the laws in the countries that it operates,...including the land acquisition process...[It]...seeks third party certification and audits to review its activities...Our stakeholders are given free and prior information about the intentions of the company through various engagement channels as identified by the different stakeholders based on locally acceptable norms. This facilitates consent and informed decision making taking into account the interests of the different stakeholders...The letter alleges that companies are interested in the fertile lands...which tend to be part of territories from which communities secure and reproduce their living and livelihoods...[T]hrough...studies, including Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), GR ensures...it operates in a manner which minimises the negative impacts...and...is committed to helping contribute to food security in the areas that it operates...[I]t is untrue to imply that GRs activities are causing the local communities surrounding our Mozambique plantations to be unable to grow food...GR...[has]...in place an effective grievance management mechanism...Whilst acknowledging that the company has made mistakes in the past, GR continually tries to improve...