Indonesia, US partner in reducing forestry carbon emissions

Indonesia and the US have committed to launching a new climate partnership early next year with funding of up to 50 million USD to help Indonesia achieve its forestry carbon sink goal by 2030.

Last May, the Indonesian Environment and Forestry Ministry and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the archipelago nation’s Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 programme.

The commitment to the new climate partnership follows up the White House’s “Fact Sheet: Strengthening the US-Indonesia Strategic Partnership”, published on November 13, which was also announced at a bilateral meeting between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali.

The environment ministry of Indonesia and USAID are to propose detailed activities, subject to the two countries’ legal and financial requirements, under the new climate partnership’s framework agreement.

The new partnership also includes support for conservation of orangutans in Sumatra and Kalimantan as well as other “charismatic species” such as elephants, tigers and rhinoceros. It also aims to support the environment ministry’s priorities, including through the Indonesian Environment Fund (BPDLH) and by strengthening stakeholder collaboration, to build and maintain sustainable and equitable natural resource management.

Earlier, the ministry had signed several agreements with other countries, including Norway and the UK, in its bid to seek technical and financial support for Indonesia’s FOLU Net Sink 2030./.

VNA