WALHI urges Indonesia to recognise Indigenous communities ahead of COP31

Indonesian environmental organisation the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) has urged the government to recognise the role and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in protecting forests, restoring ecosystems and strengthening climate resilience ahead of the United Nations climate conference, COP31, in Türkiye.

In a statement published on Facebook, WALHI said Indonesia’s climate action should not be measured solely by national emissions-reduction targets.

It said the government should also recognise the work of communities that have been protecting forests, preventing land fires, restoring ecosystems, safeguarding coastal and marine areas, and developing local food and energy systems.

The organisation said these activities had contributed to climate mitigation and adaptation but were not adequately recorded or recognised as part of Indonesia’s national climate efforts.

WALHI called on the government to use COP31 as an opportunity to recognise Indigenous Peoples and local communities as rights-holders and key contributors to climate action. It said recognition should be accompanied by secure land tenure, formal recording of community contributions towards national climate targets, and access to funding, technology and capacity-building support.

COP31 will take place in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026. The conference is the 31st meeting of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and will include the eighth meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement.

WALHI calls for recognition of community-led climate action

WALHI said Indigenous and local communities in different parts of Indonesia had been carrying out activities that contribute to climate protection, including managing forests, preventing fires, restoring damaged ecosystems and protecting coastal and marine environments.

Communities had also developed local food and energy systems, the organisation said, but their contributions remained largely absent from national climate records and policy recognition.

In its policy brief, Mengakui Mereka yang Menjaga (Recognising Those Who Protect), published on 25 October, WALHI said Indonesia supported Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement but had not yet recorded an initiative under the UN framework for Non-Market Approaches (NMA).

The organisation argued that community-led forest management, ecosystem restoration and local energy and food initiatives should be recognised as climate contributions without requiring communities to turn their environmental work into tradable carbon credits.

WALHI said recognition should begin with legal certainty over customary and community-managed territories. It also called for community contributions to be included in national climate reporting and for communities to receive direct access to financial and technical support.

Article 6.8 offers a non-market cooperation framework

WALHI has identified  as one possible route for Indonesia to advance these proposals.

Article 6.8 provides a framework for voluntary international cooperation on climate action without the transfer of mitigation outcomes between countries. It complements the agreement's market-based mechanisms under Articles 6.2 and 6.4.

According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), non-market approaches can support countries' nationally determined contributions through mitigation and adaptation activities, financial assistance, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building.

The framework is intended to encourage cooperation between countries and increase the participation of public and private organisations and civil society in climate action. Unlike carbon-market mechanisms, it does not involve transferring mitigation outcomes from one participating country to another.

The UNFCCC's NMA Platform provides a space for countries to record and exchange information about such initiatives, including the financial, technological and capacity-building support available for them.

However, the UNFCCC framework requires an NMA initiative to involve more than one participating country. A purely domestic programme cannot be registered on the platform unless it develops an international cooperation component.

WALHI said the platform could help Indonesia connect community-led climate initiatives with international support while retaining the contributions and mitigation outcomes within the country.

The organisation cited UNFCCC platform data dated 12 June 2026, which it said showed five registered NMA initiatives, none specifically based on the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' rights.

WALHI wants Indonesia to become a leader in community-based approaches

In a separate statement issued on 12 October, WALHI called on the Indonesian government to make recognition of Indigenous Peoples and local communities a central part of its negotiating position at COP31.

National Executive Director Boy Jerry Even Sembiring said Indonesia should move beyond announcing climate commitments and ensure that policies translated into action on the ground.

He said communities protecting forests, managing local food systems, developing community-based energy and safeguarding coastal areas should be recognised as key actors in climate solutions.

WALHI also pointed to 446 high-confidence hotspots identified within the concessions of 12 companies associated with carbon projects under the Verified Carbon Standard programme operated by Verra. The organisation said the findings raised questions about the effectiveness of existing carbon projects and the recognition of community contributions.

The organisation argued that national climate accounting should not rely solely on aggregate figures for emissions reductions and carbon absorption in the forestry and land-use sector. It said this approach could leave the work of local communities unrecorded.

WALHI called for Indonesia to develop an NMA initiative that recognises customary land rights, forest protection, ecological knowledge and community-led climate action. It also urged the government to strengthen the national climate registry and ensure communities participate meaningfully in decisions on climate policy.

Civil society groups press Indonesia to strengthen climate justice agenda

WALHI is among seven civil society organisations that have urged the Indonesian delegation to bring stronger climate justice demands to COP31.

In a joint statement published on 26 October, the organisations called for greater access to climate finance for affected communities, stronger adaptation measures and meaningful participation by vulnerable groups in climate decision-making.

The groups also called for developed countries to fulfil their climate finance obligations under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, including through predictable public funding that does not create additional debt for developing countries.

Other demands included direct access to funding for community-led adaptation and energy initiatives, recognition of the rights of coastal communities and small islands, and stronger safeguards against maladaptation.

The organisations said Indonesia should push for the implementation of Article 6.8 and ensure that non-market approaches support customary and community-managed territories.

WALHI said the success of COP31 should be measured not only by the agreements reached during the conference but also by whether communities' contributions subsequently receive formal recognition, legal protection and appropriate support.