The signatories emphasize that they are not opposed to timber production, provided it is carried out in full compliance with human rights, environmental safeguards, and credible certification standards.
First published on 11/18/2025
Shared by Save Rivers, ICCA Consortium member
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 November 2025 – A coalition of Malaysian and international NGOs has released a memorandum in response to the recent TPAC report on the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS). The organizations express serious concerns about the independence, quality, and credibility of the assessment carried out by the Timber Procurement Assessment Committee (TPAC).
According to the authors of the memorandum, the report once again highlights systemic weaknesses within the Malaysian certification system, including the neglect of indigenous community complaints, poor adherence to international human rights norms such as Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and a lack of transparency in audit and grievance procedures.
They argue that TPAC’s largely positive conclusions about MTCS do not reflect the on-the-ground realities. By continuing to recognize MTCS without much more stringent demands and monitoring, the Dutch government risks implicitly legitimizing human rights violations and deforestation.
As Komeok Joe, managing director of indigenous organisation Keruan states: “Logging in Sarawak often happens without our consent. It destroys our forests and the food we rely on, contaminates our rivers, and worsens our lives. Calling this ‘sustainable’ is a mockery of Indigenous rights.”
“It is disappointing to see once again that Indigenous peoples welfare are not being taken seriously enough to change the way business as usual are conducted in their customary domain. The environmental and social problems are briefly acknowledged, but with no resolved towards real solution and protection for peoples whose livelihood, and homes are in continuous state of threat and insecurity,” Celine Lim, managing director at SAVE Rivers, observes.
“After more than fifteen years, the same problems persist. Without independent oversight and transparent monitoring, the label ‘sustainable timber’ remains misleading,” Paul Wolvekamp, senior Policy Advisor at Both ENDS concludes.
In the memorandum, the NGOs call on the Dutch authorities to:
- Reconsider the recognition of MTCS;
- establish a robust and independent monitoring framework;
- ensure full alignment with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and international conventions such as ILO-169 and UNDRIP.
The signatories emphasize that they are not opposed to timber production, provided it is carried out in full compliance with human rights, environmental safeguards, and credible certification standards.
Read the full piece: “Response to TPAC Report ‘Final Judgement Detailed Research MTCS, 11 June 2025’’
Note: This content is from a member organization and is shared here without modification by the Consortium.
