Corporación Dinant statement on rights action

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, July 26, 2014: In response to the current visit to Honduras by Rights Action Co- Director, Annie Bird, Corporación Dinant has issued the following statement. Corporación Dinant welcomes the visit to Honduras by Rights Action. Too many NGOs and journalists that write about the Honduran land conflicts here have never visited this country, and so we commend Rights Action for making the effort to gain a first-hand understanding of the situation that Hondurans face. That is why we have invited the Rights Action delegation that is touring the Bajo Aguán again next month to visit Corporación Dinant’s African Palm plantations in the region so that they can see for themselves the extensive resources that Dinant is investing in community engagement, and environmental and social management. Roger Pineda, spokesman for Dinant said, “We acknowledge that Rights Action holds a very different opinion to Dinant regarding the land conflicts in Honduras. However, we recognize the importance of engaging peacefully and transparently with those that hold different viewpoints.” Roger Pineda continued, “It is right that – like Corporación Dinant - NGOs are playing their part in trying to find a solution to the enduring land conflicts in Honduras. But I urge Rights Action and others to see the organized invaders for what they really are – political extremists with no genuine claims to the land taking advantage of genuine peasant movements. Every time there is an armed invasion of private land, lives are put at risk and the livelihoods of those most in need are damaged.” Dinant urges Rights Action to participate in finding a solution to the land conflicts by engaging only with those that are seeking a legal, peaceful, transparent resolution. We look forward to receiving the Rights Action delegation at our Bajo Aguán plantations in August. About Corporación Dinant Corporación Dinant is a family-owned consumer products manufacturer founded in Honduras by Miguel Facusse in 1960. Our products are sold throughout Central America and the Dominican Republic, and exported to global markets. Dinant directly employs almost 8,000 people, supporting over 22,000 livelihoods, generating many millions of US$ in exports for the Honduran economy, and contributing significantly to the economies of all countries in which we operate. Dinant is in the process of implementing the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, an internationally accepted benchmark that strictly governs how we vet, recruit and train our security staff, and how they engage with members of the community. We are proud that Dinant will be the first company in Honduras – and the first throughout the global agribusiness sector - to adopt the Voluntary Principles. July 26, 2014 CORPORATE RELATIONS DEPARTMENT Media contact: Roger Pineda, roger.pineda@dinant.com

Corporación Dinant statement on rights action

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