Millions of smallholders and workers are earning their livelihoods in the palm oil sector. As such, the sector provides an important contribution to food security, employment, GDP and trade balance of many developing countries. The global expansion of the palm oil sector is also associated with sustainability challenges, including significant GHG emissions related to land use change and methane emissions from processing plants. The impact of palm oil is causing tension between exporting and importing countries. A further polarization of this debate or a boycott of palm oil does not solve the problem. The National Initiatives for Sustainable Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders
(NI-SCOPS), provide an opportunity for a collaborative and transparent approach to improve the situation in origin. NI-SCOPS allows palm oil producing countries to demonstrate addressing the most pressing issues. Their reward will be to attain their environmental and social policy objectives more easily, and improve market acceptance. Beyond the current contribution of the Dutch government, additional support from importing countries is needed, which will be rewarded by strengthened partnerships with producer countries and joint contributions to global climate and sustainable development goals.