REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia has countered the negative campaign against the palm oil industry at the World Trade Organization (WTO) forum, noted a written press statement from the Indonesian Permanent Mission in Geneva received in Jakarta, Tuesday.

In order to combat the negative campaign against palm oil, the Indonesian government initiated an event themed "Workshop on Sustainability and Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade: The Case Study of Palm Oil," held at the end of September in WTO's public forum in Geneva, Switzerland.

The workshop, which is part of Indonesia's initiatives, was later supported by several other palm oil producing countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Guatemala and Colombia.

According to records in several export destination countries, especially Europe, palm products have faced discrimination in response to issues, such as damage to rain forests, climate change, and the violation of traditional community rights.