Ecobiz.asia — Indonesia and the United Kingdom have agreed to deepen their long-standing cooperation in sustainable forest management through two new strategic initiatives, the Multistakeholder Forestry Programme (MFP-5) and the Land Facility – Indonesia Country Support Project, aimed at accelerating the achievement of Indonesia’s Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 target.
The agreement was announced following a meeting between Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Forestry Rohmat Marzuki and representatives from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in Jakarta on Thursday (Oct 30, 2025), marking a new phase in bilateral collaboration on forestry, climate change, and sustainable development.
MFP-5 builds on the success of four previous program phases (2000–2023) that strengthened Indonesia’s forest governance and its timber legality assurance system (SVLK).
The new five-year program (2025–2030), funded through a grant mechanism, aims to reinforce the implementation of the updated SVLK system and support progress toward FOLU Net Sink 2030.
“The MFP-5 program is a key milestone to ensure that Indonesia’s forest governance remains not only strong in regulation but also impactful for local communities and the green economy,” Rohmat said.
The program will focus on improving sustainable forest management, promoting legal and sustainable timber trade, and enhancing multi-stakeholder collaboration at both national and global levels.
In addition to MFP-5, the two governments are launching the Land Facility – Indonesia Country Support Project, titled “Land to Livelihoods: Enabling Customary Land Utilisation for Resilient Food Systems.”
The initiative seeks to accelerate the recognition and management of customary forests as part of Indonesia’s social forestry model while strengthening food security for indigenous communities through sustainable land use.
The project’s first phase, running from November 2025 to March 2026, will include case studies, institutional capacity-building, and the development of a roadmap for customary forest designation (2026–2029), focusing on Papua, West Papua, and Southwest Papua provinces.
“Through the Land Facility, we aim to ensure that indigenous peoples play a central role in managing forests and building sustainable food systems, a true reflection of social justice in green development,” Rohmat added.
Both initiatives fall under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian and UK governments on forestry and land-use cooperation, signed in 2022 and extended through 2032.
The UK government, through the FCDO, reaffirmed its support for Indonesia in strengthening forest governance, biodiversity conservation, and the transition toward a low-carbon economy. The collaboration is expected to reinforce Indonesia’s position as a regional leader in nature-based solutions, while ensuring that climate action directly benefits forest-dependent communities. ***
