VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have launched a new climate and conservation partnership, the FOLU Net Sink Bilateral Framework Agreement.

The agreement was signed on July 17 by Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, according to a release from the US Embassy in Jakarta received on Tuesday.

The agreement will significantly boost Indonesia's achievement of its Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 goals, which were first officially launched by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) during the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November 2021 and codified by KLHK in March 2022 when it issued its FOLU Operational Plan, as noted in the US Embassy's release.

By May 2022, KLHK had secured support for the Operational Plan through a memorandum of understanding with USAID, the first of many bilateral MOUs.

Under Jokowi's administration, Indonesia has made notable progress in forest conservation, reducing the deforestation rate by 65 percent in the last seven years, leading the world in improving forest protection. This new partnership will continue to build on these results.

"This agreement represents a significant follow-up to the White House Fact Sheet discussed by President Jokowi and President Biden during their bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit in Bali last year," remarked Nurbaya.

She emphasized that the agreement encompasses a level of climate finance support intended to assist Indonesia in achieving its FOLU Net Sink 2030 goals.

These goals, which require spending a projected US$14.5 billion, have primarily relied on Indonesia's state budget to date.

USAID Administrator Samantha Power stated that the agreement will help prevent forest degradation, rehabilitate mangroves and peatlands, and improve the protection of Indonesia's incredible wildlife.

"It will build on Indonesia's work over the last seven years to reduce deforestation by nearly two-thirds, and it will help preserve the vital resources that Indonesia's forests offer beyond their stunning natural beauty: the carbon sinks that will be critical for stabilizing the climate," she said.

"This agreement strengthens our partnership to support Indonesia's ongoing resilience against climate change and to improve conservation and biodiversity, including the protection of Indonesia's iconic species, like the orangutan," stated US Ambassador to Indonesia Sung Y. Kim.

Under the new Framework Agreement, USAID aims to contribute up to US$50 million over the course of five years in support of the KLHK's FOLU Net Sink climate and biodiversity objectives. (Antaranews)