On July 15″ RRI Coordinator Andy White presented the following closing remarks at the International Conference on Forest Tenure” Governance and Enterprise in Lombok” Indonesia.

First of all” my thanks to all of you. This has been a very rich and productive conference” just as were the conferences in Brazil and Cameroon.  We have done this together and we have much to be proud of.  Each and every one of you has contributed to the conference.  Your presentations and participation have allowed all of us to leave here with a more complete understanding of the current state of tenure reforms in Indonesia” across Asia and around the world. Your experience and understanding are inspiring and your input has proved crucial to identifying the way forward. The final Declaration demonstrates our shared vision that will drive our work forward once many of us leave this beautiful country and our gracious hosts.  

It has a tremendous pleasure for me” and all of my colleagues in RRI” to be here with you this week.

To the ministry of forestry and the ITTO:  Thank you – we are very appreciative of the opportunity to co-organize this conference with you.  The Ministries eagerness to host this conference is much appreciated and their openness and dedication to learning from other countries is highly commendable.  And thank you Pak Hadi Pasaribu for leading the organization for the Ministry.  I would like to extend a special thank you to Vice President Boediono and Minister Pak Kuntoro and their respective teams.  Their words and calls to action inspired us and set specific plans of actions for the work ahead to reform tenure in Indonesia.  I would also like to mention that I have never heard such strong statements in support of Indigenous Peoples and the priority of recognizing local land rights and reforming tenure from the ITTO or the Ministry of Forestry as we have heard this week.  These agencies have made strong steps forward and we appreciate and recognize their commitment to this agenda.

To the Indonesian CSOs and AMAN: You have played a central role in the design and preparation of this event. Your research” analysis and commitment to your country have been inspiring to me and to all of us. It has been a pleasure meeting and getting to know each of you.  Thank you on behalf of all of us at RRI.

To our speakers and participants spanning the globe:  Your participation has been critical to the shared learning” which is so evident in the Declaration.  I know how far many of you traveled to be here – like” Victor Lopez from UTZ’Che in Guatemala who traveled for five days to make it here and ensure that the lessons from Latin America could be shared.  Thank you to all of our travel-weary international participants.

To our facilitators and translators: You have done a tremendous job and we could not have achieved this success without you.  Thank you very much for your energy” expertise and patience with all of us.

I think that what this conference has revealed is that there is a transformation in the forests of the world underway.  This is an extraordinary moment in the long history of forests. Intensive and forceful assertion of rights by Indigenous Peoples and local communities have evoked a matching response from CSOs” NGOs” academics” business and researchers. Donors and other leading private sector actors are beginning to look beyond business as usual and there is evidence of tremendous soul searching by governments across Asia – nowhere more evident than in our host country – Indonesia.

There is a movement brewing amongst communities and Indigenous Peoples that will transform the forest sector as we know it – confronting a century of colonial laws head on and driving a rethinking and revising of the role of forest agencies across Asia. These different strands are beginning to merge and are changing the face of forests across the region.

My sense is that this is also a moment of celebration for the Indonesian Indigenous Peoples” Communities and CSOs” who have worked so hard for the last six months in preparation of this conference.  This conference brought new clarity” and honesty” on the actual status of forest rights in Indonesia and on necessary steps ahead – and this honesty is cathartic and brings great opportunity for the future of this country.  Now” we know that honesty today does not necessarily translate to change tomorrow.  But we do know that it is a necessary and long awaited step and is already opening up new avenues of collaboration and progress. And if I read the sentiment of my Indonesian colleagues and this conference correctly” it seems to me that we have indeed reached a tipping point in the yet unwritten history of Indonesia’s forests.

The inspiring work and words of our Indonesian colleagues enabled us all to highlight the struggles” successes” and frustrations of various countries in Asia.  It is because of the efforts of these Indonesian colleagues that all of us can leave beautiful Lombok and return to our homes richer with experience and with rekindled hopes for the future. 

Thank you all for your openness” willingness to learn” and share. On behalf of the Rights and Resources Initiative” terima kasih.