The implementation of the European Union’s Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) poses a significant challenge for Indonesia, particularly regarding the development of methodologies to assess deforestation risk. This is because several commodities regulated under this policy are key commodities for the country, such as palm oil, timber, cocoa, rubber, and coffee. The EUDR is expected to hinder export channels to EU member countries.
On the other hand, existing regulations in Indonesia actually regulate the restriction of natural forest conversion and support the EUDR’s goal to control deforestation. However, in recent years, these rules have often been overlooked to accommodate the 2020 Omnibus Law on Job Creation, which tends to favor commercial activities, thereby undermining community and indigenous peoples’ rights, environmental protection, and anti-corruption efforts.
Therefore, a civil society coalition has prepared a position paper report, specifically on the case of Indonesia’s palm oil sector, reviewed based on the criteria of the regulation. Consideration for Benchmarking Indonesia’s EUDR Readiness – What The Palm Oil Example Reveals is expected to provide input, suggestions, and objective considerations in the development of deforestation risk assessment benchmarking methodology.
