Enviro News Asia, New York — Indonesian Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni held a bilateral meeting with Republic of Congo Minister of Forest Economy Rosalie Matondo at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States, on Tuesday (12/5).
The meeting focused on strengthening South-South cooperation in sustainable forest management, forest-based economic development, and the transformation of the forestry sector toward sustainability-oriented and environmentally driven value creation.
During the discussion, Minister Rosalie Matondo expressed the Republic of Congo’s interest in learning from Indonesia’s forestry policies and best practices. Key areas of interest included the development of timber traceability systems such as Indonesia’s Sustainable Forest Management and Legality Verification System (SVLK+), institutional strengthening for environmental and forestry financing through mechanisms like the Environmental Fund Management Agency (BPDLH), and knowledge-sharing programmes between the two countries.
The Republic of Congo also showed interest in Indonesia’s experience in transforming forest management from a timber-oriented approach toward the development of environmental services and non-timber forest products that provide more sustainable economic benefits for local communities.
Minister Raja Juli Antoni welcomed the interest and reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening international collaboration in sustainable tropical forest management.
Indonesia views cooperation among tropical forest countries as a strategic step toward enhancing the contribution of the forestry sector to sustainable development, climate change mitigation, and community welfare.
The bilateral meeting formed part of Indonesia’s forestry diplomacy agenda during international engagements in New York and further highlighted Indonesia’s active role in promoting global cooperation in forestry, ecosystem restoration, and the green economy.
Accompanying the Minister of Forestry at the meeting were the Director General of Sustainable Forest Management, the Director General of Watershed Management and Forest Rehabilitation, and the Head of the Bureau of Public Relations and International Cooperation. (*)
