PRESS RELEASE Indonesia-Norway Partnership Gains Momentum for Good Governance

Source : Mailist – March 14, 2012

PRESS RELEASE
Indonesia-Norway Partnership Gains Momentum for Good Governance

Jakarta, 12 March 2012 –This week,

Ambassador Hans Brattskar, Director General and Special Envoy for Climate Change of Norway is in Indonesia to coordinate with the
Indonesian REDD+ Task Force led by Minister Kuntoro Mangkusubroto to discuss progress in the implementation of the Indonesia – Norway Partnership to support efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).

Ambassador Brattskar met with the Chairs of the REDD+ Working Group to learn about developments in building institutions and implementing strategic initiatives and pilot programs to curb deforestation. “We are taking the necessary steps to carry out the President’s commitment to maintain an economic growth of 7% while protecting our forest and reducing our emissions by 41% with international support. The success of the REDD+ program is important in achieving this dual targets. Norway has been an important ally in
Indonesia’s respond to the common challenge of climate change,” said Kuntoro.

“Norway is proud to be part of and is fully committed to this partnership. I am confident Indonesia can meet its ambitious targets and look forward to seeing the effective implementation of the REDD+ strategy and the establishment of agreed institutions,” remarked Brattskar.

One of the key strategic initiatives being implemented is a two-year moratorium on new licenses. President Yudhoyono signed the Presidential Instruction (Inpres) 10/2011 on Suspension of New Licenses and Improvement of Governance on Primary Forest and Peatland in May 2011. Since then, the President’s Delivery Unit on Development Monitoring and Oversight (UKP4) along with the REDD+ Task Force have worked with relevant ministries and government agencies to formulate action plans for the next two years. These
action plans will create transparency of information among ministries and businesses, to strengthen integration and synchronization of data, and to provide access for increased
public participation – all are important pre-requisites to achieving wider reform in forest governance.

“The moratorium and the efforts to create one integrated map of all concessions handed out by different ministries, have revealed the chaos resulting from decades of past mistakes on our land use management,” said Minister Kuntoro, who also serves as the Head of the UKP4. “This moratorium is about developing better governance of forest and peat-land. We intend to create a more accountable, transparent, cross-sector approach to licensing, develop the appropriate policy for license review and when verified and necessary, enforce breaches in the law.”

“I understand the challenges of Indonesia, and I am impressed and encouraged by the holistic and systematic approach to REDD+ taken by the Government of Indonesia and Minister Kuntoro. Norway supports the moratorium and see it as an excellent opportunity for forest governance reforms and as an initiative that will help Indonesia reduce its emissions in line with President Yudhoyono’s pledge”, Brattskar said.

Following meetings with government officials in Jakarta, the Norwegian delegation together with the REDD+ Task Force will be visiting Papua to meet with the local government, representatives from the Low Carbon Economy Task Force, local environmental
organisations and development partners. “

“Last time we visited Central Kalimantan. This time we are happy to visit Papua, which is crucial to the realization of the Government of Indonesia’s climate change pledges. I am looking very much forward to go to Papua tomorrow to see the vast intact forests you have there, to meet with local communities and to discuss sustainable development opportunities with the provincial authorities there.”, said Brattskar.

The Indonesian REDD+ Task Force fully recognizes the importance Papua will play in the unfolding of the countries REDD+ future, and has initiated facilitation to synchronize the provinces Low Carbon Development plan with the REDD+ National Strategy. “The REDD+
Indonesia Task Force, fully recognizes the pivotal role that Papua will play in our efforts to reduce deforestation,” stated Kuntoro. “We have been following closely the positive developments in this province, especially on how the provincial government has been
working closely with civil society and adat (or indigenous) representatives in developing the provincial spatial plan (RTRWP).”
The work being done on low carbon development in Papua, as well as in other forested provinces, will provide input into the national framework for REDD+, which will then be implemented at a sub-national level.

In May 2010, Indonesia and Norway signed a Letter of Intent in Oslo outlining the framework for a partnership to combat deforestation and forest degradation. The USD 1billion contribution from Norway will largely be dependent on Indonesia’s ability to verify reductions.

The REDD+ Task Force reports directly to the President, has oversight over the development of the national REDD+ strategy and is responsible for designing the REDD+ agency and the funding instrument for REDD+ activities.

For more information:
Chandra Kirana
Chair of Communications and Stakeholder Working Group
kirana.chandra@gmail.com

Original Link : http://www.regjeringen.no/pages/37376691/120313_Joint_Press_Release.pdf

RELEASE : Reduced Emission from Deforestation Opening Window for Green Economci Transition

Source : All Africa – 8 December 2011

Durban (south Africa) / Nairobi — Countries across the developing world are engaging with developed country governments and the private sector to simultaneously reduce emissions from forests and fast track transitions to a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy.

These multiple benefits of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) were the focus of a side event at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17) in Durban today – in particular plans by Indonesia to utilize around US$1 billion-worth of funding from Norway under REDD+.
“In the same way that the Green Economy promotes sustainable, low carbon and resource-efficient economic growth, REDD+ also explicitly addresses the need for a balance between income growth, jobs and social equity”, said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

“With just over six months until the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil, countries ranging from Indonesia to Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are recognizing that REDD+ investments can offer myriad opportunities to boost green development in the 21st Century – through optimizing and enhancing ecosystem services, tackling climate change, improving water security or promoting green jobs. Mobilizing more partnerships such as that between Norway and Indonesia, or private sector funding is vital if the full potential of forests to contribute to a Green Economy is to be realized.”

“A green economy transition is worth pursuing not only because it is the best way forward, but also for what it does to bring millions of people out of poverty while conserving their ecosystems, improving their lives and enhancing their livelihood opportunities”, said Dr. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Head of the President’s Delivery Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight and the Chair of the National REDD+ Task Force of the Republic of Indonesia.

Indonesia is at the forefront of international efforts to develop REDD+ as a viable opportunity for climate change mitigation and sustainable development – particularly in the country’s Kalimantan region.

“Efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation can only succeed as part of broader, green growth strategies that offer economic growth and low emission solutions for energy, agriculture and forests. Indonesia is very well positioned for success in this regard and I am pleased that Central Kalimantan is committed to demonstrate how this can be done”, said Mr. Erik Solheim, Minister of the Environment and International Development, Norway.

Significant areas of Kalimantan’s forests have been cleared for cash crops such as coffee and palm oil. But ongoing research led by the National REDD+ Task Force in partnership with the United Nations, supported by UNEP and other stakeholders, indicates that this is coming at a cost to other productive sectors such as mining, fisheries and the livelihoods of local people as well as challenging Indonesia’s biodiversity including the iconic orangutan.

Deforestation in the upper areas of Kalimantan’s river systems now means that during the summer months, river flows and levels are running low, which is reducing the ability of barges, carrying mining ores, to continue operating.

An assessment by the Government of Indonesia and partners estimates that if the ore is transported by road rather than by barge, it will be six times more expensive. The calculation does not include the costs of environmental impacts of road building and road transport.

The Heart of Borneo strategy, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative, aims to protect biodiversity by creating a network of protected forest areas. As part of its REDD+ Programme, Indonesia plans to plant palm oil and other crops on degraded lands rather than clearing virgin forest.

Overall the REDD+ funding, backed by smart public policies and both direct foreign investment and private sector funding, should assist Indonesia in its stated aims of realizing 7% GDP growth per annum by 2014; reducing unemployment to between 5 and 6 per cent and achieving a 26-41% reduction in the emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020. UNEP and other UN agencies have been requested to advise on a number of areas for intervention in Kalimantan, that would help realize multiple benefits from REDD+ for these stated goals.

REDD+ Opportunities in Other Regions

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also has significant opportunities to integrate REDD+ in the country’s path towards a Green Economy.

Extending over 1.55 million km’ and accounting for over half of Africa’s forest resources, the DRC’s tropical forests are a major provider of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, soil regulation and biodiversity.
The DRC’s forests could provide a potential source of up to US$900 million in annual revenue up to 2030 through REDD+ , in which the DRC is already engaged, according to UNEP’s Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment of the DRC, released in October 2011, which underlines the extraordinary potential of the country’s forest resources and other natural endowments, such as mineral reserves and renewable energy potential (in particular hydropower).

Such potential REDD+ revenue could further enhance the DRC’s transition to a Green Economy through diversifying energy sources, reducing environmental damage caused by mining and promoting the country’s emerging social economy to create more green jobs, according to the UNEP report.

South Africa

While South Africa is without large tropical forests, it has large areas of degraded land as a result of mining which, if replanted sensitively with thickets and shrubs, could capture carbon emissions while delivering improvements in water supplies, soil fertility, livelihoods and employment.

Dr Guy Midgley of the South African National Biodiversity Institute said: “There are, for example, opportunities to restore degraded landscapes in KwaZulu Natal and thickets in the Eastern Cape which could provide financial incentives to landowners and state-owned areas to pursue improved management, create livelihood opportunities for local people, and provide a basis for increasing biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, especially to projected climate change.”

Early work suggests that there are around 1.2 million hectares of degraded land in the Eastern Cape alone. An estimated 350 tonnes of carbon could be sequestered per hectare in these systems-perhaps more under wetter conditions. If just 10 per cent of that area was reforested and restored, then with carbon prices assumed at US$10 a tonne of carbon dioxide, this could be worth 7 million Rand a year and, over 30 years, perhaps around 200 million Rand.

In reality, these values would be less because of what are known as transaction costs, such as project development, and the cost of monitoring, report and verification of the projects outcomes.

About the UN-REDD Programme

The UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations Collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries. The Programme was launched in September 2008 to assist developing countries prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies, and builds on the convening power and expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
“REDD+” goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

The Programme currently has 35 partner countries spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, of which 14 are receiving support to National Programme activities. These 14 countries are: Bolivia, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ecuador, Indonesia, Nigeria, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia. To-date, the UN-REDD Programme’s Policy Board has approved a total of US$59.3 million for National Programmes in these 14 partner countries. These funds help to support the develo

Link : http://allafrica.com/stories/201112081519.html

RELEASE: Issuing Licence for Plantation in Tripa Peat Swamp Forest Area

Source : Mailist – November 23, 2011

Press Release, 2011 November 23

Issuing Licence for Plantation in Tripa Peat Swamp Forest area;
Coalition Team for the Rehabilitation ofTripa (TKPRT) file lawsuit against Aceh Governor at the State Administrative Court

Banda Aceh – TKPRT and the Forum for Sumatran Spatial Plan (For Trust) filed on Wednesday (23/3) a lawsuit against the Governor of Aceh at the State Administrative Court of Aceh Province. The lawsuit was filed following a legal warning sent by TKPRT previously, which was ignored by the Governor. TKPRT believes that the Governor has violated existing laws by issuing the Licence No. 525/BP2T/5322/2011 on August 25th, 2011 on License on Plantation Operation to PT KallistaALam in the village of PuloKruet, Sub district of DarulMakmur, District of Nagan Raya in the Province of Aceh covering an area of 1,605ha.

WALHI Aceh, representing the TKPRT, submitted the lawsuit documents with a team of lawyers consisting of Syafruddin, SH, Jehalim Bangun, SH, and Nurul Ikhsan, SH. WALHI Aceh as the plaintiff submitted the lawsuit using the mechanism of Legal Standing, which is the right and the interest of the plaintiff as an environmental NGO, as it is regulated under the Law No, 23/1997 on Protection and Management of the Environment.

Within the lawsuit, WALHI Aceh mentioned that the 1,605ha of area stated to be located in the village of PuloKruet according to the Governor’s Decree does not lie within the administrative area of PuloKruet but clearly within the Leuser Ecosystem of Aceh Province. The Leuser Ecosystem is a National Strategic Area based on the Presidential Decree No 26/2008 on National Spatial Planning.

TKPRT has from the beginning conducted analysis on the negative impacts towards the environment caused by the clearing of the Tripa Peat Swamp. The Governor of Aceh as the Head of Aceh’s Government has in fact not taken any necessary measures to anticipate the damaging impact to the environment by not having made any Environmental Impact Analysis prior to the issuance of the license.This shows that the Governor as a State Official has conducted himself in contradiction to his legal responsibility and ignoring the principles of good governance.

The impact of the release of the license to PT KallistaAlam in the Tripa Peat Swamp causes environmental damage such as the loss of source of income of the local community around Tripa Peat Swamp, the loss of the habitat of critically endangered Sumatran orangutan and other protected animals, indigenous catfish and other kinds of swamp fish, which are the source of protein and income for the local community of Tripa.

Besides Sumatran orangutan, other primates also exist in Tripa such as siamang, wau-wau and kedih. Other endangered species in the area include the Sumatran tiger, sun bear, estuarine crocodiles, pythons and a variety of endangered swamp birds such asCiconiastormi and Cairinascutulata. The vegetation and plants in Tripa has a diversify composition like other swamp areas in Sumatra (Laumonier, 1997).

Besides the biodiversity value, Tripa Peat Swamp has also ecological function that is very important for the surrounding community. Peatlands play an important hydrological role, since they are natural water reservoir of enormous capacity. If not disturbed, peatlands can reserve from 0.8 to 0.9 m3/m3 (Murdiyarso et al, 2004).

Therefore, Tripa Peat Swamp plays important role in regulating ground water and rainfall cycles. Tripa is also important to local community for being a strong buffer zone protecting from tsunami of Aceh in December 2004. This is clearly identified based on the minimum of damage that occurred just behind Tripa Peat Swamp Forest area, which is well protected and undestroyed.

The TKPRT values that the Governor’s act or the defendant exceed his authority as Head of Provincial Government by issuing the license for PT KalistaALam in the Tripa Peat Swamp Forest area and also that the defendant violates the existing laws, i.e. Law No. 5/1990 on the Conservation of Biodiversity and its ecosystems, the Law No. 5/1994 on the UN Convention on Biodiversity, Law No 6 on the Government’s ratification on the UN Convention on Climate Change as well as other existing environmental laws.
TKPRT as the plaintiff requests the judge of the State Administrative Court to suspend the implementation of the Governor Decree No. 525/BP2T/5322/2011 dated on August 25th, 2011 on the Plantation Operation and to temporarily halt all activities related to the license issued by the Governor of Aceh until there is a certain legal verdict.
Within the core of the lawsuit, TKPR requested the State Administrative Court to cancel or to declare the license to PT KalistaAlam of August 25th, 2011 as illegal and the court to order the defendant to withdraw the Decree No. 525/BP2T/5322/2011 on the Plantation Operation License for PT KalistaAlam dated on Aust 25th, 2011.
TKPRT hopes for support from the community to win the lawsuit. The winning of this lawsuit will be the community’s victory over their rights to managed the natural resources.

Banda Aceh, 2011 November 23
TKPRT and For Trust
Signed for and on behalf of

Teuku Muhammad Zulfikar
Direktur Eksekutif WALHI Aceh

RELEASE: UN Climate Talks : Strong Concerns Over Agenda of Developed Countries

Source: Mailist – November 22, 2011

MEDIA ADVISORY
Friends of the Earth International

22 November 2011
UN CLIMATE TALKS : STRONG CONCERNS OVER AGENDA OF DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, 22 November 2011 – Friends of the Earth International has expressed strong concerns over the stated agenda of the US and a number of other developed countries at the forthcoming UN climate talks in Durban from 28 November to 9 December [1].

The global grassroots environmental federation is calling on other governments to stop these countries from undermining the globally-agreed framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure stronger targets for legally binding emissions cuts in line with science and equity.

The climate talks have been deadlocked since the beginning of the decade because of the failure of developed countries – those historically responsible for the bulk of the climate-changing emissions – to deliver on their moral and legal obligations for climate action.

Developed countries are obliged under the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to cut their emissions first and fastest and to provide adequate public finance and technology transfer to developing countries.

But in the last two years the international negotiations have taken an even more worrying turn, with the US, Japan and others pushing to scrap the agreed, legally-binding framework for developed country emissions cuts and replace it with a voluntary ‘pledge and review’ approach. This would put the world squarely on track to catastrophic global warming [2].

“Millions of people around the world are already facing the impacts of the climate crisis. Yet many developed country governments, who have it within their power to prevent the crisis from getting any worse, are acting with complete impunity. And worse, many are using the climate talks to advance the narrow, profit-driven agenda of polluting industries, multinational corporations, and financial elites”, said Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International coordinator of the Climate Justice and Energy Programme.

“To tackle the climate crisis we need a transformation in our unjust and unsustainable economies and their basis in dirty, polluting fossil fuels. In South Africa, it was the power of peoples’ struggle that defeated apartheid. Once again our communities need to organize, mobilise and help build not just a new South Africa but a new just and sustainable world that puts the interests and needs of ordinary people and communities first,” said Bobby Peek, director of Friends of the Earth South Africa / groundWork.

“Durban could be where the greatest crime against humanity is committed. The blind greed and self-interest of developed countries could literally pass a death sentence on the peoples of Africa”, said Nnimmo Bassey, Chair of Friends of the Earth International.

“Developed countries must take the lead by committing to urgent and dramatic legally-binding emissions cuts, stop the drive for destructive false solutions like carbon trading, and repay their climate debt to developing countries. Developing countries must resist the drive from the US, Japan and others towards climate catastrophe, and the EU must prove its climate leadership or take its share of responsibility for what could be a disastrous outcome in Durban. The world cannot wait any longer” he continued.

NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] The most fractious issue in the negotiations is the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol. Whilst the greenhouse gas emissions targets in the current phase are extremely weak and full of dangerous loopholes like carbon trading, the Protocol itself provides the only existing international framework for legally binding targets for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The first phase of emission cuts agreed under the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of 2012. A second phase must be agreed in Durban to avoid gaps between the two periods.

Canada, Japan and Russia are determined not to commit to a second period of emission cuts under the Protocol unless all major economies – including China and the United States – agree to the same legal terms.

The US is reneging on its promise to take on comparable binding emissions reductions. Instead, it is pushing for a complete dismantling of the framework of legally-binding emissions reduction targets and for its replacement with a voluntary pledge and review system where countries would decide their own emissions cuts on a national basis.

[2] According to UNEP, the voluntary emissions reductions pledges submitted at the previous UN round of climate talks (COP 16 in Cancun) would put the world on track to a catastrophic 5 degrees of warming and even higher for Africa: http://www.unep.org/publications/ebooks/emissionsgapreport/pdfs/GAP_REPORT_SUNDAY_SINGLES_LOWRES.pdf

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International coordinator of the Climate Justice and Energy Programme: or +27 763 598 845 (South African mobile valid only Nov. 22 – Dec.10) or +44-7912 40 65 10 (UK mobile), email: sarah.clifton@foe.co.uk

Bobby Peek, director of Friends of the Earth South Africa / groundWork: Bobby Peek, Director of Friends of the Earth South Africa: +27 824 641 383 (South African mobile), email: bobby@groundwork.org.za

Nnimmo Bassey, Chair of Friends of the Earth International: +234 803 727 4395 (Nigerian mobile) or +27 824 641 383 (South African mobile valid only Nov. 22 – Dec.10), email: nnimmo@eraction.org

Friends of the Earth International media line: +27 791 097 223 (South African number valid only Nov. 26 – Dec.10) or +31-6-5100 5630 (Dutch mobile) or email: media@foei.org

————————————————————–
Friends of the Earth International is the world’s largest
grassroots environmental federation with 76 national member groups
in 76 countries and more than 2 million individual members and supporters
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Press Release: The First Time in Indonesia, Five Community Forest Received Timber Legality Certificate

Source : Mailist – November 11, 2011

Press Release
The First Time in Indonesia, Five Community Forest Received Timber Legality Certificate
At the Same Time Minister of Forestry Launched The Timber Legality Logo

Embargoed Until Friday, November 11, 2011 at 00.00 WIB

Lampung, 11 November 2011. For the first time in Indonesia, five comunity management forests received timber legality certificate. Those five forests are (1) Comlog Giri Mukti Wana Tirta Union (Pekandangan-Central Lampung), (2) Wana Manunggal Lestari Union (Gunung Kidul-DIY), (3) Community Forest Owner’ Association (Wonosobo-Central Java), (4) Gapoktanhut Jati Mustika (Blora-Jawa Tengah), and (5) Koperasi Hutan Jaya Lestari Union (Konawe Selatan-Southeast Sulawesi). Those five certificates are the result of independent verification of PT. Sucofindo International Certification Services.

“The success of these five community business group is proofing that timber legality and verification system (SVLK) can be applied as a credible guarantee for small and middle scale timber business managed by group of community or group certification, as well as the financial administration which is become affordable”, said Diah Raharjo, Director of Multistakeholder Forestry Program (MFP). Diah Continuing, “This certification automatically will strengthen the management of community forest which supported by
NGO and local government. The achievement achieved because of a strong commitments and cooperation between various partners, from standard development to implementation of SVLK”.

At the same time The Ministry of Forestry launched a verified legal timber logo called VLegal. This logo is a guarantee the legalilty status for Indonesian timber product, which is also applied on the license document of timber export for the country at destination market.

The launching of this timber legality logo is a part of Indonesian commitment in developing of SVLK according to Indonesian government policy stated on Permenhut No. P.38/Menhut-II/2009, about Performance Evaluation Standards and Guideliness of Sustainable Production Forest Management and Verification of Legality Timber for the permit holders or claimed forest.

MS. Sembiring, Executive Director of KEHATI Foundation said, “With this logo, timber and its products from Indonesian forest is legally assured, thereby supporting the forest conservation and its biodiversity”. Sembiring Continuing, “Every logo is accompanied by verification code number, so that the timber can be traced to its origin, from the forest area an the legally own land or sustainably managed”.

SVLK is policy generated through the involvement and support of various parties, including cross-agencies coordination which include Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Finance cq. Customs, Police Departement, Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As well as the active role of NGO, KSM (Community Group), Cooperative Economic Enterprises (Koperasi) and Local Government.

Including the certificate that awarded to Five community forest, at the moment there are 59 certificate for forest management and 136 certificate for timber industries. The implementation of timber legality verification is to ensure that there is re-trace, starting from harvesting to transporting the source of timber raw material, processing in the industry to the trading done according to the applied laws and regulations.

The total area of the certified community management forest is 3,100 ha, spread in 41 villages within Indonesia and directly implied to 6,024 group member’s life. This achievement is profing that SVLK can increase the community income, because around 80% of raw material for national timber industry can be supplied by this area. In the future, by implementing SVLK in the community forest hopefully can maximize the forest benefits through REDD+ scheme.

Further Information
Arbi Valentinus/MFP
0811 11 7143, arbivalentinus@gmail.com, arbivalentinus@mfp.or.id
Diah R. Sulistiowati/KEHATI
0811 100 4397, sulis@kehati.or.id

Editorial Notes:
1. The main timber consumer countries in the world seperto Amerika Serikat (Amandemen Lacey Act), Uni Eropa (Timber Regulation), and Jepang (Goho- Wood), have imposed a rule that defined that only forest product that guaranteed to be legal can enter and marketed in the destinated country.

2. On 4 May 2011, Indonesia and European Union has signed a partnership in law enforcement, strengthening governance and forestry sector trade (Forest Law Enforcement Governance, and Trade/FLEGT-VPA). With this agreement, Indonesian forest product certified with the legality timber certification will get FLEGT export license so that it can be directly received by the legal trade of timber product in European Union.

3. The timber legality symbol consist of the circle image, the check image with leaves, and the writing of “Indonesian Legal Wood” entirely in green color. The circle image illustrate the forest products and sustainable improvement of forest management.

The check image with leave and the writing “Indonesian Legal Wood” illustrate the verification symbol which indicate that the timber product from Indonesia has guaranteed to be legal through an accountable verification process.

4. MFP (Multistakeholder Forestry Program) ia a bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Indonesia Ministry of Forestry and the UK Department for International Development (DfID), along with KEHATI Foundation as the executor. Learn more at www.mfp.or.id.

5. The Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation (KEHATI), is a non-profit and independent grantmaking institution that facilitates various activities of conservation and the utilization of Indonesian biodiversity. Learn more at www.kehati.or.id.

Joint Statement of the Second Indonesia-U.S. Joint Commission Meeting Bali, Indonesia

Source : News Room America – July 25, 2011

Joint Statement of the Second Indonesia-U.S. Joint Commission Meeting Bali, Indonesia

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 26, 2011

Following is the text of a joint statement by the United States and Indonesia issued on July 26, 2011, following the second Indonesia-U.S. Joint Commission Meeting in Bali, Indonesia:

BEGIN TEXT:

Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr. R. M. Marty M. Natalegawa and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met in Bali on July 24, 2011 to co-chair the second meeting of the U.S.-Indonesia Joint Commission under the bilateral Comprehensive Partnership. Both were accompanied by senior officials from their respective governments.

The Joint Commission is the principal vehicle to implement the Comprehensive Partnership launched by Presidents Yudhoyono and Obama in November 2010 in Indonesia. The first Joint Commission Meeting was held in Washington, D.C. in September 2010.

Foreign Minister Natalegawa and Secretary of State Clinton were delighted to see the steady progress of the Joint Commission, whose members had collaborated with enthusiasm and a constructive spirit reflecting the elevated status of bilateral relations under the Comprehensive Partnership.

Foreign Minister Natalegawa and Secretary Clinton engaged in an extensive dialogue on bilateral, regional, and global issues. They highlighted President Obama’s November 2010 visit to Jakarta and his upcoming trip to Bali in November 2011 and pledged to continue to strengthen the U.S.-Indonesian high-level strategic dialogue on global and regional developments. Given Indonesia’s chairmanship in 2011 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the entry of the
United States into the East Asian Summit (EAS), and both countries membership in the G-20, Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Natalegawa acknowledged the great importance of this enhanced consultation. They also expressed strong support for the intensive efforts to conclude a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact, likely to total $600 million over five years, which is in the final stages of development.

The two ministers noted that the Joint Commission and its Working Groups are, in the spirit of equal partnership, promoting close dialogue and cooperation in overcoming shared challenges.Participants in today’s Joint Commission session welcomed substantial progress over the past year under the three pillars of the Comprehensive Partnership Plan of Action covering political and security cooperation; economic and development cooperation; and cooperation in socio-cultural, educational, science and technology affairs.

The two Ministers reviewed strategies and highlighted policy initiatives and priorities developed by the six Joint Commission Working Groups in the areas of Democracy and Civil Society, Education, Climate and Environment, Trade and Investment, Security, and Energy.

Working Group on Democracy and Civil Society

The co-chairs of the Working Group on Democracy and Civil Society shared with Foreign Minister Natalegawa and Secretary Clinton the results of bilateral initiatives on cooperation with civil society engagement, civic education, and the upcoming bilateral media dialogue. They agreed to cooperate on democracy and human rights initiatives in international fora including the UN Human Rights Council, and on building democracy through bilateral programs. The United States participated in the third Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) as an observer and will take part in the upcoming fourth BDF, while the National Democratic Institute (NDI) supported the BDF implementing agency, the Institute for Peace and Democracy. The co-chairs expressed a desire to focus in the coming year on cooperation
related to open government partnership, human rights, interfaith initiatives, local elections, and participation by women in politics. They will strive to increase youth participation in all of these areas.

Working Group on Education

The co-chairs of the Working Group on Education reported significant progress and new initiatives under the five-year Higher Education Partnership. They described the two countries’ support for increased exchange of students and scholars, including through the expanded binational Fulbright Program and with the Department of State’s community college initiative, as well as the development of new university partnerships through the U.S. Agency for International Development to strengthen educational capacity, especially in the fields of science and technology. They highlighted the growth of the Peace Corps’ English Teaching and Teacher Training program. They also welcomed Indonesian support for 100 Darmasiswa scholarships for Americans and Joint Fulbright-Dikti Scholarships for Master’s and
PhD degree programs in the United States. They noted expanded support for English and Indonesian language learning to further strengthen collaboration and mutual understanding, and continued support for improved basic education services to facilitate more Indonesian students’ ability to continue onto higher education. The Working Group also highlighted the Spring 2011 American-Indonesian Educational Foundation EducationUSA and Access America Education Fairs, in which over 100 U.S. colleges and universities participated, and announced an Indonesia-U.S. Higher Education Summit to be held in Washington, D.C. on October 31, 2011 to further engage the higher education and private sector communities in both countries. In addition, they acknowledged the existing academic recharging, “twinning,” and other post graduate programs funded by the Government of Indonesia.

Working Group on Climate and Environment

The co-chairs of the Working Group on Climate and Environment reported on accomplishments in priority areas, including intensified consultations on global climate change action, tropical forests, environmental management and governance, and biodiversity and ecosystems conservation. Noting Indonesia’s July 12, 2011 land tenure speech as a major step forward for forest-dependent communities and recognizing the importance of an accurate forest mapping system, the Working Group identified key challenges and action plans to pilot Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation- Plus (REDD+) programs; strengthen climate change measurement, reporting and verification systems; advance the establishment of the climate change center, protect biodiversity, including habitats that are
critical to the survival of orangutans and tigers; combat illegal logging; and promote sustainable management of forest and marine ecosystems. The Working Group also recognized an important new agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Environment to expand environmental cooperation and launch the “Breathe Easy, Jakarta” partnership. The two sides also expressed strong support for collaborating in a new Tropical Forest
Conservation Act program expected to total approximately $20 million to manage tropical forests.

Working Group on Trade and Investment

The co-chairs noted preparation for upcoming meetings of the Trade and Investment Council (TIC) and efforts to intensify engagement in the coming year. Bilateral trade figures reached $23.4 billion in 2010 compared to $18.0 billion in 2009. Indonesia reported that the United States has become the third largest source of investment in Indonesia, with investment reaching $930.9 million in 2010. During the first half of 2011, U.S. investment to Indonesia surpassed $936.1 million. Working Group co-chairs outlined recent commercial engagementsuccesses such as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) investment conference and U.S. agriculture and education trade missions earlier this year. As well, the co-chairs announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Indonesia’s
Ministry of Agriculture are leading a temporary task force, to include participation from government, universities, and the private sector, to explore opportunities for cooperative engagement regarding the development of agriculture research, education, market access, and food security and use of innovative technologies in agriculture. In addition, they recognized growing cooperation on entrepreneurship including a recent U.S. entrepreneurship delegation to Indonesia and Indonesia’shosting of the ASEAN Regional Entrepreneurship Summit. They welcomed the preliminary meeting of the Commercial Dialogue between the two countries held in Washington, D.C. on July 14, 2011 as an initiative to strengthen the existing Working Group on Trade and Investment under the Joint Commission. These initiatives
will create a foundation for further increases in our bilateral trade.

Working Group on Security

The co-chairs of the Working Group on Security reported on the improving military-to-military relationship, including a number of cooperative activities on maritime
security, transnational crime, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, peacekeeping, and defense reform/ professionalization. The Working Group
noted U.S. support for the continued modernization of the Indonesian military forces and for Indonesia’s construction of a Peacekeeping Training Center. The
Working Group noted the U.S. and Indonesian co-chairmanship of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) Counter Terrorism Experts Working
Group.

Working Group on Energy

The co-chairs of the Working Group on Energy reported on the cooperative activities undertaken since the Energy Policy Dialogue (EPD) in June 2010, including the U.S.-Indonesia Energy Investment Roundtable in May 2011 in Jakarta. The highly successful event identified the key policy issues for improving the investment
climate in Indonesia’s energy sector and attracting the substantial investment needed for Indonesia to meet its own ambitious production targets for both fossil fuels
and renewable energy. The Working Group has already begun cooperating to implement key recommendations from the event, including the July 10-20 Geothermal
Power Reverse Trade Mission that the U.S. Trade and Development Agency organized for thirteen Indonesian delegates from the national and provincial
government as well as the corporate sector. Additionally, the Working Group is in the preliminary stages of planning a second U.S.-Indonesia Energy Investment
Roundtable focused on conventional and unconventional gas to be held this fall. Furthermore, Indonesia and the United States have decided to cooperate on Indonesian efforts to slow the growth of emissions from its energy sector through strategies outlined in Indonesia’s climate change sector roadmap, in particular through cooperation on a $16.2 million Indonesia Clean Energy Development Project that will install 120 MW of clean energy and increase access for 1.2 million
Indonesians to clean energy.

Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Natalegawa reaffirmed the importance of the Joint Commission in strengthening the bilateral relationship and offering a strategic vision for enhanced future cooperation. They noted that in addition to regular Joint Commission plenary sessions, the United States and Indonesia are boosting overall senior level dialogue, building relationships between our peoples, and developing institutional relations, not only between governments, but also among civil society, business, and academia. They also underscored cooperation in health, which has made significant progress over the last year, with steps taken to work closely on a variety of health and infectious disease issues. They also highlighted important bilateral science and technology cooperation initiatives.

The two sides plan to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission in the United States in 2012.
PRN: 2011/1239

Link :

RELEASE: New Studies Suggest Lack of Meaningful Land Rights Play Key Role in Conflict, Increase in Carbon Emissions from Indonesia’s Forest

Source : Mailist – July 12, 2011

LOMBOK, INDONESIA (12 July 2011)— New research released today at a high-level forestry conference in Indonesia—opened by Vice President
Boediono—suggests that Asia’s largest forest nation is paying a high price for failing to give local communities enforceable rights to contested forests, causing significant economic losses owing to its highly undervalued forestland, and leading it to lose out to regional competitors.

“There is ample evidence that communities are reliable managers of natural resources and forests, yet for some reason Indonesia has yet to embrace the concept of local tenure rights with any seriousness,” said Dominic Elson, an independent consultant for Trevaylor Consulting. “Until addressed, it will be hard to make more than token progress on the pressing issues facing the land use sector, such as deforestation, conflict and misguided investments that undermine development. This will not only have poor outcomes for the forests, biodiversity and climate change – it will also have profound implications for the economy and long-term social development.”

Elson’s paper is one of several presented this week in Lombok by the Rights and Resources Initiative, at a major international forestry conference co-organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and RRI. The conference brings together researchers, policymakers, and Asian forest community leaders to focus attention on the fundamental role of local control and improved forest governance in alleviating poverty, expanding legal, sustainable forestry, and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation or REDD, an initiative whose long-term implementation is still in negotiations.

Previous research by RRI and others has shown that where Indigenous Peoples and forest communities are given control of forestlands, they are better stewards than governments. A study released on Wednesday by RRI confirms this finding, suggesting that granting greater control to local forest communities has been a vita lelement in the turn-around accomplished by China, South Korea, Vietnam and India, which in the last 20 years have had significant success with restoring vast areas of forest.

“The state remains the predominant actor in the region’s forests, but the trend toward local control now emerging is incredibly important,” said Andy White,
coordinator of RRI, a global coalition of organizations advancing forest tenure and policy reforms. “It’s no coincidence that the countries granting more rights to communities and indigenous groups are the same ones making progress toward more sustainable management of their forest resources.”

Indonesia continues as outlier in region
A key outlier to this promising trend is Indonesia, home of the world’s fifth largest forested area and one of the greatest carbon emitters, in sharp contrast to other major countries in the region, including China, India and Viet Nam, which have large areas of forestland in community hands. The Indonesian government’s acknowledges that there are almost 30,000 villages on land claimed by the government, yet communities have rights to less than one percent of the nation’s forests.

For example, the 0.60 million hectares that Indonesia reserved for communities in 2002 appeared to fall to 0.23 million hectares by 2008, according to government figures. The new data shows that in 2010, less than 100,000 hectares had been legally recognized as under local control, far short of the target to devolve at least 500,000 hectares per year.

“At this negative rate of change,” said Nonette Royo, Executive Director of the Bogor-based Samdhana Institute, “Indonesia will continue to fall further behind its tropical forest peers in devolution of land tenure rights, yet for some reason in Indonesia, the state has yet to embrace the concept of locally controlled forestry with any seriousness.”

In the absence of meaningful change in forest governance, forest-related conflicts have become commonplace in Indonesia. For example, in a forthcoming report from the Indonesian research organization HuMa, the authors identify some 359 confrontations over forested lands between 1997 and 2003 in six provinces alone. They estimated a 70 percent increase in this rate, reflected in 85 instances of conflict over natural resources in 2010, which encompassed a disputed area of nearly 2.5 million hectares. These conflicts resulted in communities losing access to forested areas, and the imprisonment—and in some cases the deaths—of those who refused to surrender control.

“These findings in particular suggest the need for immediate action, with commitments made at the highest level of government,” said Marcus Colchester, Director of the UK-based Forest Peoples Programme. “We need mediation mechanisms to address conflict; we need meaningful progress on recognizing customary rights, and, where people request it, we also need implementation of the laws that are on the books and support for forest peoples’ own enterprises. Lives and livelihoods are at stake, and forest communities have been patient for far too long.”

Undervalued land encouraging plunder of resources
In his sweeping assessment of Indonesia’s forest policy, Elson finds that with its focus on timber extraction and forest conversion to palm oil, the country’s approach is overwhelmingly biased toward narrow private interests without delivering economic gains that improve peoples wellbeing. Natural forest has continually been made available for industry at far below its social of economic value, while forest communities have been systematically ignored.

“The presence of a large amount of degraded land—estimated at 30 million hectares or more– is a sign that the forest frontier is undervalued, meaning that economically it makes more sense to continue to plunder the frontier rather than develop existing open land,” said Elson, a development expert, whom earlier this year authored the study from the UK Climate Change Unit of the British Embassy in Jakarta on shifting Indonesia to a low-carbon economy.

Elson cites the case of 40 million Indonesians who live in treeless areas designated as public forests, yet have no land rights to even such degraded land. “This limits their livelihood options, as the land cannot be used for agriculture, yet in most cases they also cannot get a permit for reforestation, and do not have political power to get a permit for estate crops such as oil palm or cocoa.”

But RRI analysts say there are encouraging signs that Indonesia is beginning to change. In the past few years the government has set new targets to reduce
deforestation and help mitigate climate change, while promising to speed up transfer of forest rights to local communities.

“The fact that Indonesia is a co-sponsor of one of the biggest conferences ever held on forest tenure, governance and enterprise in Asia, by itself says a lot about the realization at very high levels that the status quo is not a perfect one and it needs improvement,” said Pak Boen Purnama, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry, and current advisor to the Ministry.

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The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a strategic coalition comprised of international, regional, and community organizations engaged in development,
research, and conservation to advance forest tenure, policy, and market reforms globally. The mission of the Rights and Resources Initiative is to support local communities’ and Indigenous Peoples’ struggles against poverty and marginalization by promoting greater global commitment and action towards policy, market and legal reforms that secure their rights to own, control and benefit from natural resources, especially land and forests. For more information, please visit
www.rightsandresources.org <http://www.rightsandresources.org/> .

UNFCCC Executive Secretary: Governments have unavoidable responsibility to make clear progress towards 2011 climate objectives

PRESS RELEASE

UNFCCC Executive Secretary: Governments have unavoidable responsibility to make clear progress towards  2011 climate objectives
(Bonn, 6 June 2011) Speaking on the first day of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany (6-17 June), UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said governments have an unavoidable responsibility to make clear progress towards the 2011 climate objectives which they had agreed in Cancun.

“Governments lit a beacon in Cancun towards a low-emission world which is resilient to climate change. They committed themselves to a maximum global average temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius, with further consideration of a 1.5 degree maximum,” she said.
“Now, more than ever, it is critical that all efforts are mobilized towards living up to this commitment,”she said.
Ms. Figueres’s reminder comes against the backdrop of stark new warnings of a sharp rise in the volume and concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.
Last week, the Paris-based International Energy Agency estimated that 2010 emissions from global energy generation returned to record highs, representing an unexpectedly sharp rebound from the effects of the financial crisis. Also last week, the US government’s Hawaii-based Mauna Loa laboratory – a key scientific monitor for global climate change – reported that carbon dioxide concentrations peaked yet again in May, at just under 395 parts per million.
Speaking about expectations for the Bonn meeting, Ms. Figueres said that negotiators are working hard to provide clarity on the architecture of the future international climate regime to reduce global emissions fast enough to avoid the worst climate change. A second key field of work relates to the design of the finance, technology and adaptation institutions agreed in Cancun that will allow developing countries to build their own sustainable futures and adapt to climate change successfully.
“Governments have a very ambitious agenda, which goes all the way from the procedural to the political. They are arriving here with high expectations of themselves and their partners and a decisive willingness to come out of Bonn with significant progress,” she said.
Ms. Figueres drew attention to the growing momentum of global climate action which governments need to capitalize on.

“Countries, including the biggest economies, are building new policies that promote low-carbon growth. The private sector continues to increase low-carbon investment and demands bigger, better ways to do more. And we are seeing an inexorable increase in the effectiveness of clean technology and drops in its price,” the UN’s top climate change official said. “The clean and renewable energy revolution has already begun – the challenge is to complete it in time,” she added.
The Bonn UN Climate Change Conference (6-17 June) is being attended by more than three thousand participants from 183 countries, including government delegates, representatives from business and industry, environmental organisations and research institutions. The Bonn meeting is designed to prepare the UN Climate Conference in Durban at the end of the year (28 November – 9 December).
About the UNFCCC
With 195 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 192 of the UNFCCC Parties. Under the Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialized countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
See also: unfccc.int
Follow UNFCCC on Twitter: @UN_ClimateTalks
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres on Twitter: @CFigueres
UNFCCC on Facebook: facebook.com/UNClimateTalks

Link : http://unfccc.int/files/press/press_releases_advisories/application/pdf/pr20110606sbs.pdf

Helen Clark Visits REDD+ Pilot Initiative In Indonesia

Source : UNDP
April 28, 2011

On the first day of her three-day trip to Indonesia, UNDP chief Helen Clark traveled to Central Kalimantan, where she took a boat through parts of the province to see first-hand the forest cover and peat lands which face a real threat of deforestation. She met with local officials to discuss their plans for REDD+ pilot initiatives — Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation which also include the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

Indonesia aims to reduce its carbon emission by 26 per cent by 2020. Kalimantan’s annual GHG emissions are estimated to account for roughly 15 per cent of Indonesia’s total emissions, and are in large part to the rapid rate of forest clearance from an enormous area of peat swamp, which has extremely high carbon density.

Last year Norway and Indonesia signed a letter of intent for more than $1 billion in grant funding to be provided to support the protection of Indonesia’s forests, and Central Kalimantan was chosen as the pilot province for the national REDD plan, with UNDP supporting the initial phase.

“From the point of view of UNDP, we take a huge interest in how local people are going to benefit,” said Helen Clark. “So in the design of the pilot for us we are looking for a win-win for the local people and a win-win for the forests.”

Tomorrow, Helen Clark will participate in the Business For Environment (B4E) conference in Jakarta.

To read more about REDD+ go to http://www.un-redd.org/

Link : http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2011/april/helen-clark-visits-redd-pilot-initiative-in-indonesia-.en;jsessionid=a41J7f8VTfD_