The new Forest Investment Program promises to affect entire communities, and yet it’s not being made available in a way that Indonesians can easily access, read, or comment on.
On March 16th, 2012, several Indonesian NGOs banded together to send an open letter to the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Ministry of Indonesia. The letter critiqued the draft of the Forest Investment Program (FIP), a financing mechanism aimed at assisting developing countries in restructuring their existing forestry programs into ones that will offer financial incentives for reforestation and avoiding devastation. Though this would seem to be a noble goal, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the IFC, and the Ministry of Indonesia have failed to use a meaningful, inclusive and adequate consultation process.
“…we consider the draft is far from an attempt to apply the principles of good governance, democracy and human rights in Indonesia,” the NGOs wrote, citing many instances that seemed to dismiss the needs of the Indonesian community so that they could understand the new policies under which their own forests would be governed. Firstly, the documents were only available through the Ministry of Forestry website, something many Indonesians wouldn’t have access to, and even then only in English. The time frame for concerned citizens to voice their concerns was only two weeks, and the process was at risk for leaving out the needs of women, children, and the elderly.
In the final paragraph of the letter, the NGOs state, “In relation to the matters above, then we demand the whole process related to FIP be postponed until the occurrence of synchronization with the process of establishing a clear National Strategy that can actually guarantee to save the remaining forests of Indonesia and improve governance in the forestry sector.”
NGO’s letter of critique, English versionNGO’s letter of critique, Indonesian version