Strengthening Communities to Advance Sustainable and Climate-Just Land Governance and Amplify Community Voices in Global Forums

Indonesia, the world’s sixth-largest carbon emitter, released an estimated 729 million tons of CO₂ in 2022. The forestry and land-use change sector (LULUCF), driven by deforestation, forest fires, and peatland degradation, accounts for more than half of national emissions.

Mining has intensified environmental degradation and frequently undermined the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Between 2001 and 2023, about 721,000 hectares of forest were cleared for nickel and other mineral extraction, while an estimated 60 percent of mining concessions failed to comply with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). Customary rights over 40 million hectares of forest — on which nearly 70 million Indigenous people depend — are under increasing pressure.

These challenges unfold amid a shrinking civic space. Indonesia’s democracy score stood at 59 out of 100 in 2023. Institutional barriers, financial dependency, and gaps in technical capacity continue to constrain advocacy and multi-stakeholder collaboration for climate justice.

With support from Ford Foundation Indonesia, PWYP Indonesia is implementing this programme to strengthen civil society’s capacity to advocate for fair and sustainable land-use policies, address inequalities in land ownership and public decision-making, and empower Indigenous Peoples and other vulnerable groups in climate governance at local, national, and global levels.