RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia strengthens its role as a leader in social forestry cooperation in Southeast Asia by hosting the Regional Knowledge Sharing of ASEAN Guiding Principles for Effective Social Forestry Legal Frameworks in Jakarta, on August 4-5, 2026. The regional forum brought together representatives from 11 ASEAN member countries to strengthen effective, transparent, and inclusive social forestry governance.

The activities initiated by the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF), RECOFTC, and ClientEarth serve as a platform for sharing experiences regarding policies, innovations, and best practices in social forestry management. Indonesia also reaffirmed its position as the Lead Country of AWG-SF, coordinating social forestry cooperation in the region.

Director of Social Forestry Control at the Ministry of Forestry, Marcus Octavianus Susatyo, said that regional collaboration is an important foundation in strengthening tenure certainty and enhancing the role of the community in forest management.

"This collaboration serves as an important foundation to align national policies with regional aspirations, strengthen tenure certainty, and enhance community participation in forest management," Marcus said in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 4, 2026.

The forum also discussed the implementation of the ASEAN Guiding Principles for Effective Social Forestry Legal Frameworks, guidelines developed since 2019 to strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks of social forestry in Southeast Asia.

The discussion includes the simplification of regulations, strengthening government coordination, supporting community groups, and developing market access for social forestry enterprises.

This workshop is a continuation of the series of capacity-building efforts that have been ongoing since 2024. After identifying various implementation priorities at the national level, in 2025 Indonesia will also hold training for forestry agencies to strengthen institutional capacity and the implementation of social forestry programs.

ClientEarth's representative for Japan and Southeast Asia, Azam Hawari, considers the regional forum an important space for ASEAN countries to learn from each other in facing the challenges of policy implementation on the ground.

"There is no single country that has all the answers. Therefore, this forum is important for mutual learning, sharing experiences, and finding solutions that can be applied according to the context of each country," Azam explained.

Thru the forum, ASEAN countries are expected to further strengthen cooperation in realizing sustainable social forestry governance, expanding community access to forest management, and supporting forest conservation and the improvement of community welfare in the region.