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End of Indonesia-Norway deal reveals distrust, vulnerability in climate funding
The agreement barely stood, little more than a paper tiger, as Indonesia lacked infrastructure, technology and monitoring tools at that time to deliver a measured path to reach the targeted emissions reduction.
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Greenpeace activists wear penguin costumes and take action and hold signs reading 'Climate is changing, the ocean ecosystem is threatened' during a protest in Jakarta on Feb. 9, 2020. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
I
ndonesia's abrupt termination of the landmark US$1 billion funding scheme from Norway to combat deforestation has taken everyone by surprise.
It is like running a long marathon but quitting just before the finish line. It also reminds us of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, when the boy finally gets the girl, but the girl later commits suicide.
When Indonesia signed a deal in 2010 with Norway to finance its reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) programs, it was fueled by optimism. The agreement was made after then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced voluntary emissions-reduction targets—26 percent with the country’s own efforts and 41 percent with international assistance—which were considered ambitious at that time.
The agreement was the first and largest international funding pledge that Indonesia received to conserve its rain forests, the third-largest worldwide after Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But the agreement barely stood, little more than a paper tiger, as Indonesia lacked infrastructure, technology and monitoring tools at that time to deliver a measured path to reach the targeted emissions reduction.
It took years of failures and later major strides in technology, regulations and institutional capacity—and a historic fire disaster in 2015—before the government could finally align stakeholders to reduce forest fires and deforestation and report emissions reductions during 2016-2017.
The country's forest governance reached a new height last year when the Norwegian government finally verified the achievements and agreed to disburse $56 million from the pledge. It was still far from $1 billion, but it was a testament to the accountability of Indonesia's measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system, which met international standards and resulted in the payment.
