Kamis, 1 Januari 2026

Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Agree to Strengthen Collaboration in Building a High-Integrity Carbon Market

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Vice Minister of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, Rohmat Marzuki, held a bilateral meeting with Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and New Climate Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Marie Nyange Ndambo, on the sidelines of the COP30 UNFCCC Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil, on Monday (November 10, 2025).

During the meeting, Indonesia expressed its appreciation for the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s progress in strengthening national carbon market governance through the establishment of the Autorité de Régulation des Marchés du Carbone (ARMCA) — the national authority regulating carbon markets. This initiative was recognized as a significant milestone in developing a transparent and high-integrity carbon market system.

“This marks an important step in strengthening forest governance and establishing a credible carbon market. Indonesia highly values Congo’s leadership in the Congo Basin region,” said Vice Minister Rohmat Marzuki.

Rohmat emphasized that Indonesia continues to strengthen its carbon market framework through Presidential Regulation No. 110 of 2025 on Carbon Economic Value (Nilai Ekonomi Karbon / NEK), which positions carbon trading as a key instrument toward green growth and a low-carbon economy. Within this framework, nature-based carbon units — such as those derived from reforestation, mangrove restoration, and agroforestry — can be traded both domestically and globally.

To ensure effective implementation, the Ministry of Forestry is finalizing four derivative regulations, including revisions to Ministerial Regulations No. 7/2023, No. 8/2021, and No. 9/2021, along with a new regulation on the utilization of ecosystem services in conservation areas. These reforms aim to transform forest-based carbon value into an engine for inclusive green growth.

The Vice Minister added that these initiatives align with Indonesia’s Forestry and Other Land Uses (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 agenda, which targets the forestry sector to become a net carbon sink by 2030. The government is also implementing programs to rehabilitate 10 million hectares of degraded land and expand bioenergy development based on palm oil, aiming to reduce fossil fuel dependency by up to 50 percent.

In addition, the Ministry continues to strengthen community empowerment through its social forestry program, which currently covers more than 8.4 million hectares and involves 1.4 million households. The initiative has created approximately 5.6 million green jobs and reinforced the recognition of customary forests across Indonesia.

“Recently, Indonesia signed cooperation agreements with the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) to enhance capacity building, strengthen technical collaboration, and increase private sector participation in carbon trading,” Rohmat explained.

Both countries also discussed advancing South–South cooperation in forestry, particularly through the International Tropical Peatlands Center (ITPC) and the Global Peatlands Initiative. The Democratic Republic of the Congo expressed its readiness to follow up on the trilateral collaboration previously established between Indonesia, Brazil, and the Congo during the COP in Glasgow.

“Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo share a common vision — to protect tropical forests while building an economy that is sustainable and socially just,” concluded Vice Minister Rohmat Marzuki.
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