Indonesia and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening long-term cooperation in sustainable forestry development during a bilateral meeting at COP30 UNFCCC.
The discussion highlighted shared priorities in peatland restoration, mangrove rehabilitation, Indigenous forest governance, and climate-related forestry programs.
The meeting brought together Amy Duchelle, Senior Forestry Officer and Team Leader for Forests and Climate Change at FAO, and Prof. Haruni Krisnawati, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Forestry.
They were joined by Dr. Krisdianto (Head of Public Relations and International Cooperation Bureau), Julmansyah (Director of Tenurial Conflict Resolution and Indigenous Forests), and Dr. Ristianto Pribadi (Director of Mangrove Rehabilitation).
Held at the Indonesia Pavilion during COP30, the meeting served as a platform to review ongoing cooperation and strengthen Indonesia–FAO collaboration across several strategic areas. FAO emphasized continued support for peatland and wetland management through the Green Peatland Economy Program, along with ongoing collaboration under UN-REDD.
Indonesia provided updates on the restructuring of its environmental governance under the new Merah Putih Cabinet, noting that the Ministry of Forestry now oversees jurisdiction-based forest areas.
With 74% of Indonesia’s 20.7 million hectares of peatlands and 80% of its 3.44 million hectares of mangroves located within forest zones, the Ministry stressed that all international partnerships on peatlands, mangroves, and Indigenous forestry must align with its mandates.
FAO expressed strong appreciation for Indonesia’s leadership, particularly the Minister of Forestry’s initiative to establish the Indigenous Forest Acceleration Team and allocate 1.4 million hectares of designated forest areas for Indigenous Peoples over the next four years. FAO highlighted its interest in positioning Indonesia as a global role model for Indigenous forest governance.
Indonesia also encouraged FAO to play a stronger role in facilitating access to global environmental financing—especially through the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The delegation emphasized the need for FAO’s involvement from the early stages of proposal development to ensure programs are aligned, effective, and capable of addressing funding gaps beyond national budget allocations.
The meeting concluded with both parties agreeing to deepen technical cooperation, refine future work programs, and strengthen coordination under Indonesia’s forest jurisdiction and national strategic priorities.
This includes expanded collaboration on peatlands, mangroves, climate mitigation, and Indigenous forest protection as Indonesia continues its efforts toward sustainable forest management and global climate leadership.
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