Forest Carbon Works, PBC (“FCW”), provides multiple culturally appropriate methods for submitting a grievance using a form accessible on its stakeholders’ web page (https://forestcarbonworks.org/stakeholders); with options for a self-identified, confidential, or anonymous submission. Through the public consultation process, FCW ensures that all stakeholders are made aware of the procedure in advance of project implementation. Additionally, FCW will accept grievances submitted by mail to their office, the address of which is publicly available, and will designate a central point of contact to compile all the letters received.
All grievances received will be made publicly available on the project proponent’s website after submission and the complainant will receive confirmation of receipt if contact information is available. Where grievances are filed as confidential or anonymous, the stakeholders’ contact information will be withheld from public disclosure. The grievance will be screened and evaluated for eligibility to see if it has standing with the project proponent. The grievance will be deemed ineligible if it is not project-related, the complainant has no standing to file, or is not a local stakeholder. If another company or community procedures are more appropriate to address the issue, the complainant will be referred to as appropriate.
Once a grievance has been received, the project proponent will attempt to resolve the grievance following a three-stage approach:
- The project proponent will attempt to amicably resolve the grievance and provide a written response to the grievance in a manner that is culturally appropriate.
- If there are any grievances received that cannot be resolved internally or via amicable negotiation, then the grievance shall be referred to the Consensus Building Institute for third-party mediation (https://www.cbi.org/).
- Finally, if mediation does not resolve the grievance, it shall be referred to the appropriate, competent jurisdiction within the United States of America Court System without prejudice to a party’s ability to submit the grievance to a competent supranational adjudicatory body, if any.
Forest Carbon Works, PBC, reserves the right to amend or update this procedure without notice.
Last Updates: 14 September 2023