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Forest investment meeting criticized
Civil society organizations staged a rally against the Forest Investment Plan (FIP) meeting attended by participants from eight countries, in Yogyakarta on Tuesday
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ivil society organizations staged a rally against the Forest Investment Plan (FIP) meeting attended by participants from eight countries, in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.
They said the FIP, which was part of the Climate Investment Fund (CIF), had activities that did not adopt a participatory-based mechanism, was funded through debt, and threatened the rights of indigenous people in their forests.
'The FIP does not involve local communities who depend on forests for their livelihoods. Debt funds being used to finance the program will also burden the people,' said Hamzal Wahyudin, the spokesperson of the Yogyakarta Civil Societies Alliance to Reject the Forest Investment Plan, on Tuesday.
Dozens of activists from the alliance staged the protest in front of Hotel Inna Garuda, where the FIP meeting is taking place from Sept. 24 to 26.
Eight countries participating in the meeting are Brazil, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana, Indonesia, Laos, Mexico and Peru. They are selected to pilot the plan that is aimed at reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), as the sponsors, disbursed funds for the eight countries.
'With the investment plan, the government will take full control of the forests, which might threaten the existence of customary tribes,' Hamzal said.
Forestry Ministry economy and international trade expert IB Putera Parthama, who leads the Indonesian delegation in the meeting, said customary tribes had been involved in the FIP implementation.
'Many of them did not show up but they were invited,' Putera said. He said Indonesia received around US$70 million for FIP, of which $37.5 million was in the form of grants while 32.5 million was in the form of loans given to the private sector. (hrl/ebf)
