FGV Annual Integrated Report 2019

78 FGV HOLDINGS BERHAD The Group has also revised, updated and strengthened its Group Sustainability Policy (GSP). Further to this, FGV continues to tackle the highly complex situation of undocumented persons in Sabah. The issue of undocumented persons working in plantations in Sabah is not unique to FGV but is an industry-wide concern. In April 2019, the Sabah state government introduced a programme that would allow undocumented migrant workers in Sabah to apply for regularisation. As part of our commitment to practice responsible recruitment and to phase out labour contractors, we have invited these workers to join our workforce. We have facilitated the registration of these workers to undergo regularisation and we are covering the fees involved in the regularisation process. While we target to complete this exercise by the end of June 2020, the achievement of this target hinges upon the integral roles of the relevant state agencies as well as the authorities of the workers’ countries of origin. Respect for Human Rights Respecting human rights is at the heart of FGV’s sustainability agenda. In this regard, we continue to undertake efforts to uphold and fulfil human rights standards through various initiatives. In addition to strengthening our GSP, we have RSPO Labour Updates FGV provides regular and consistent updates to the RSPO and the public on the progress of the action plans that are being implemented. The Group will continue to work hard and focus urgently on closing the gaps identified by the RSPO. In this context, some of the initiatives we implemented in 2019 were: • Expanding the scope of the Sustainability Division to cover the whole Group with a direct reporting line to the Group Chief Executive Officer. MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS STATEMENTS AND ANALYSIS • Establishing FGV’s Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) for its Board. This was approved by the Board in November 2019. • Affiliation to the Fair Labor Association (FLA) – FGV, with the support of Procter & Gamble Chemicals (PGC), became a Participating Company of the FLA in October 2019. The FLA works together with Participating Companies to develop and enhance internal social compliance systems that identify and remedy labour rights issues. Securing this affiliation to the FLA is part of FGV’s efforts to ensure that all our practices are fully in line with international labour standards. • Collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and the Earthworm Foundation – FGV is participating in a labour supply chain mapping project conducted by the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the non-profit organisation Earthworm Foundation. The scope of this project includes reviewing processes and procedures relating to the recruitment of migrant workers, identifying gaps and proposing recommendations to ensure that such processes and procedures are in line with international standards. adopted our Guidelines and Procedures for the Responsible Recruitment of Foreign Workers, which provides a clear set of guidelines to ensure responsible and ethical recruitment of migrant workers and covers various stages of the recruitment process, namely pre-employment, employment and post- employment processes. FGV is also participating in a Labour Supply Chain Mapping project conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Earthworm Foundation, the scope of which includes reviewing the process of recruitment of migrant workers and upgrading its internal processes and procedures to align with international standards. With the support of Procter & Gamble Chemicals (PGC), FGV was accepted as a Participating Company of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) in October 2019. The FLA is an international association of socially responsible companies, universities and civil society organisations (CSOs) aiming to promote and protect the human rights of workers and improve working conditions worldwide. Securing this affiliation to the FLA is part of FGV’s efforts to ensure that all our practices are fully in line with international labour standards. It will involve the implementation of a long-term programme to address and resolve gaps in FGV’s