Enviro News Asia, Belém — Director of Conflict Resolution and Customary Forest Tenure, Directorate General of Social Forestry, Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, Julmansyah, reaffirmed Indonesia’s strong commitment to advancing the recognition and protection of tenure rights for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).
He delivered this statement during the session titled “Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment Advancing Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities’ Land Tenure”, held at Action Room 1, Blue Zone COP30 UNFCCC, Belém, Brazil (17 November 2025).
At the outset, Julmansyah expressed his appreciation to the event organizers and commended the Forest and Land Tenure Pledge initiative, which strengthens global synergy in climate action. He emphasized the essential role of IPLCs in sustaining ecosystems and supporting climate action.
“IPLCs play a vital role in shaping traditional knowledge, sustainable practices, and the management of critical ecosystems, including their crucial contribution to climate action,” he stated.
Julmansyah highlighted key achievements in Indonesia’s social forestry program. As of October 2025, social forestry allocation has reached more than 8.3 million hectares out of the targeted 12.7 million hectares, legally managed by over 1.4 million households. He also noted the issuance of 164 customary forest decrees, covering a total of 345,257 hectares, managed by 87,963 households.
At COP30, Indonesia officially announced its accelerated commitment to recognizing customary forests. The Minister of Forestry formally committed to recognizing 1.4 million hectares of customary forests within the next four years.
This commitment, he stressed, positions IPLCs as a central pillar of national climate action.
“This bold commitment reflects a crucial aspect of climate response—meaningful engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities,” he said.
To ensure the achievement of this target, Julmansyah outlined key government measures.
“In March 2025, we established a Special Task Force through Ministerial Decree No. 1440/2025 to accelerate the recognition of customary forests,” he explained.
The task force works inclusively with key stakeholders, including Indigenous organizations and NGOs such as AMAN, WALHI, HUMA, JKPP, BRWA, academics, and local governments.
He added that the government is preparing a national strategic plan, including a Roadmap for accelerating customary forest recognition, which is scheduled to be launched in December 2025 by the Minister of Forestry.
Indonesia is also developing a collaborative financing mechanism to support the acceleration of customary forest recognition, strengthen information systems, build an IPLC knowledge directory, and improve community welfare based on territorial approaches.
Julmansyah conveyed Indonesia’s appreciation to partner countries.
“We extend our gratitude to the Government of Norway for its outstanding support in promoting IPLC development, particularly in accelerating customary forest management,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Julmansyah underscored the importance of collaboration and shared leadership in climate action. Indonesia, he affirmed, remains committed to taking a leadership role and welcomes broader collaboration to enhance IPLC engagement.
“Let us move from commitments to measurable action, from promises to shared results,” he urged.
He called on all parties to seize COP30 as a global turning point.
“Together, we can make Belém a landmark moment to strengthen the role of IPLCs in climate action,” he concluded. (*)
