Minister Siti Nurbaya from Indonesia and Minister Tiilikainen sign an agreement on forest cooperation

Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia and Minister of Agriculture and the Environment Kimmo Tiilikainen have signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries on forestry and sustainable use of natural resources. Minister Siti Nurbaya visited Finland on 6–8 April.

The purpose of the visit was to enhance cooperation between the countries especially in education and research on the forest sector. Indonesia has the world’s third largest, highly diverse tropical forest resources. However, the world’s largest island state is extremely vulnerable to degradation of the natural environment caused by climate change.

During the visit the Indonesian delegation learn about Finnish forestry and its special characteristics and forest-related education and research in our country. The Indonesian delegation, in turn, tells about the actions taken to prevent the loss of forests and illegal felling. Also on the agenda are forest fires and their control and the conservation and sustainable use of mires. Increasing the conservation of mires is one of the objectives of Indonesia.

Indonesia is an important partner for Finland in processes such as the negotiations on the climate and biodiversity agreements. Forestry is high on the agenda in the UN Sustainable Development Goals to 2030. 

In 2011 Indonesia and the EU signed a Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Based on the development work concerning forest administration and legal use of forests that followed, Indonesia was the first country to complete the trade agreement process with the EU, allowing Indonesia to import timber and wood products to Europe under the FLEGT licensing scheme. The mandatory licence guarantees the legality of the production chain of tropical timber, thus enabling the access of Indonesian products to the EU market.

Inquiries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Juha S. Niemelä, Director General, juha.niemela(at)mmm.fi, p. +358 295 162 009
Marjukka Mähönen, Ministerial Adviser, marjukka.mahonen(at)mmm.fi, p. +358 295 162 128