UN entities leading the delivery of this output: FAO, IOM, OCHA, UNDP, UNDRR, UNESCO, UNEP, UNIDO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNHABITAT, UNHCR, UNODC, UNOPS, UN WOMEN, WFP, WHO


COP27 delivered mixed results in addressing the climate emergency. However, agreement on a “loss and damages” fund to help the Global South’s most vulnerable countries deal with its effects was a significant breakthrough. The UN continues to assist in Indonesia’s climate agenda, including efforts to meet its enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) towards curbing climate change.

Central to those efforts are preparations for a domestic carbon market, and the UN is supporting greenhouse gas emissions cap-setting for coal-fired power plants and setting up a secretariat for monitoring domestic carbon trading.

It also supports Indonesia’s system for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and its programme to alleviate poverty, halt deforestation, and boost sustainable forests management. In December, Indonesia received US$ 47 million of UN funds for climate action and conservation activities.

The UN is assisting in developing a Blue Carbon emissions profile, which will underpin negotiations on including Blue Carbon in the next NDC document Indonesia submits to the UNFCCC. It is also assisting in catalysing more investment in green technologies. Meanwhile, the UN continued to expand evidence generation and awareness-raising activities on risks Indonesian children face due to environmental degradation and climate change.

To increase the involvement of young people in climate and environment action and advocacy, the UN supported its youth network in awareness-raising and evidence generation campaigns.

Finally, it continues to support the Montreal Protocol’s phasing out of the production of substances responsible for ozone depletion.

UN entities leading the delivery of this output: UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, UNOPS

Phasing out coal-fired power stations is among Indonesia’s critical contributions to fighting climate change. However, with 9% of Indonesia’s 270 million population lacking reliable electricity access, transitioning to green energy generation requires sustained policy commitment, private sector investment, and innovation in renewable technologies.

To support Indonesia realising its NDCs, the UN developed guidelines and a methodology for calculating emissions reductions resulting from the energy sector applying a carbon market mechanism. UN support for the carbon credit certification and registry system’s launch also served as an entry point to pursue work on carbon tax and emissions cap policies. In promoting clean, sustainable energy, UN interventions helped bring energy access to women and poor households in remote areas of Indonesia.

The UN helped develop business models and financing schemes for installing solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftops at schools and government office buildings. It has also been assisting the Government in transitioning to more energy-efficient lighting technologies, including by converting some streetlighting, and lighting in public buildings to LEDs. Meanwhile, a Government and UN grant to incentivize the installation of Rooftop Solar Power Plants had 383 recipients in 2022, and the UN is helping financially incentivize renewable energy and energy-efficient projects through equity investment.

Through the Energy Transition Partnership (ETP) Secretariat, the UN has developed key interventions and programmes with Government agencies engaged in the energy transition, which impact on key performance indicators.

Meanwhile, the UN aims to demonstrate the viability and benefits of Eco-Industrial Parks in improving the productivity, and their economic, environmental, and social performances.

UN entities leading the delivery of this output: FAO, IOM, UNDP, UNDRR, UNESCO, UNEP, UNFPA, WFP, WHO

As one of the world’s most disaster prone countries, Indonesia is a potential thought leader on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) policies. DRR is increasingly prioritised across the region, and in 2022, 37 cities signed up to the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative facilitated by the UN, the Government and local governments across Asia and the Pacific. Meanwhile, UN interventions enhanced Indonesia’s existing DRR coordination mechanisms, including via facilitating public-private logistics and supply chain partnerships, and helping train 120 local responders.

The UN and the Government supported strategic policy discussions for resilient supply chains, and initiatives to enhance anticipatory action for climate change and extreme weather events. At the provincial level, the UN helped implement a novel preparedness and response operationalization guideline in Central Java, and assisted sub-national governments in developing recovery plans, in multi-hazard contingency planning, and in enhancing tsunami preparedness. To build greater disaster resilience, 54 public services facilities and community facilities were identified to improve accessibility for women and persons with disabilities.

Elsewhere, the UN developed technical guidelines and a pocketbook on maternal and neonatal services in health crisis situations, a nationally accredited Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for reproductive health training modules, and HIV prevention services in humanitarian situations. It also continued to enhance its disaster response support through improved coordination.

Similarly, the UN has continued to strengthen cross-sectoral emergency preparedness and response capacities, and made continuous efforts to develop nutrition contingency plans, as well as providing technical support and input on draft regulations.

UN entities leading the delivery of this output: FAO, ILO, IOM, OCHA, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNITAR, WFP

In 2022, the UN addressed climate change adaptation and mitigation in Indonesia through a broad range of interventions. The Government received UN support with a project using satellite imagery to develop new estimates of changes to mangrove coverage, which is critical to Indonesia’s environmental management. The UN also facilitated a study designed to map the potential contribution of sustainable palm oil development to the SDGs, collaborated in establishing the Palm Oil Information Centre to monitor the progress of the National Action Plan on Sustainable Palm Oil (NAP SPO), and helped develop gender mainstreaming guidelines for the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s G20 presidency of the Climate Sustainability Working Group received UN support in developing a study on co-benefits of climate change mitigation-adaptation synergy for SDGs, and a study on innovative climate finance for climate resilience. Additionally, the UN provided technical assistance for two documents reflected in the G20 Bali Leaders Declaration.

The UN continued to implement and expand its initiatives to strengthen capacity and awareness on child-centred climate and environmental actions as a cross-sectoral concern. That included supporting the Government to prevent childhood lead poisoning due to environmental degradation.

The UN is involved in several other projects related to post-disaster recovery assistance, which involve safely rebuilding some 54 public service and community infrastructure projects, and tsunami-preparedness. In doing so, it has increased the capacity of stakeholders at all levels to prepare for and mitigate the risk of future disasters.

UN entities leading the delivery of this output: FAO, IFAD, IOM, OCHA, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP, WHO

Climate change and disasters disproportionately impact vulnerable people and exacerbate social inequalities. As part of its LNOB commitment, the UN is working on multiple fronts to build the resilience of vulnerable communities.

The UN implemented several initiatives in 2022 designed to mainstream ambitious child-focused climate and environmental policies and improve the protection of children during disasters. With UN support, the Government launched new guidelines on child-focused contingency planning, incorporating prevention and response to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect. The UN also supported the development of Climate Aware Village Facilitation guidelines and Disaster Responsive Village guidelines.

The UN continued to provide technical support on nutrition in emergencies, developing online learning materials and contingency plans. It also supported the sustainability of essential health services during the COVID-19 crisis, including through strengthening data and information systems, and building the capacities of provincial health teams. Meanwhile, it provided more than half a million children with COVID-19 Safe School Kits.

With Swedish government backing, the UN and the Government conducted a range of national dialogues informing the Stockholm+50 international meeting on international environmental action to accelerate SDGs implementation.

Meanwhile, the UN and the Government organized activities designed to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities to tsunamis and other disasters. At the community level, cash-for-work schemes enabled more women to participate in rehabilitation and reconstruction of community infrastructures. The UN continued to support disaster and emergency response through communication and community engagement activities, including in the aftermath of Cianjur's earthquake.

UN entities leading the delivery of this output: FAO, IOM, IFAD, OCHA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, UNODC, UNOPS, WFP

Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic nation, has the potential to become a global leader in Blue Economic development. Achieving this, however, would entail ambitious steps towards protecting the country’s vast marine ecosystems and the coastal communities that depend on them.

Currently, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) cover 28.91 million hectares of Indonesia’s maritime territory, with the Government targeting 32.5 million hectares by 2030. In 2022, the UN supported implementation of Papua Province’s first MPA through data collection for its zonation plan, and a series of community consultations. The MPA will help provide direct livelihoods and food security for more than 7,000 people.

The UN contributed technical support to the development of a Government roadmap guiding efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions. In addition, it developed guidance to deepen understanding of local climate vulnerabilities and help communities identify effective adaptation measures. It is also supporting the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Indonesia’s National Action Plan on marine debris.

The UN is similarly committed to supporting Indonesia’s green economic development. It assisted the Government with a document for the revision of legislation on the conservation of biological resources and ecosystems, and provided technical inputs on a draft of the national strategy and action plan for combatting illegal and unsustainable trade in endangered species.

The Government, with UN support, developed a plan for intensifying efforts to conserve the endangered Sumatran tiger as part of multifaceted efforts to increase the population of endangered species. Meanwhile, 355 forest rangers received specialised training.

UN entities leading the delivery of this output: FAO, UNESCO, UN HABITAT, UNIDO, and UNOPS

Indonesia’s forests are among the world’s foremost biodiversity hotspots, home to between 10% and 15% of the world’s known plants, mammals, and birds, as well as vast carbon stocks. They also support some 9.2 million village households, according to Government data. As such, sustainable forest and land management are critical to achieving the SDGs and preserving Indonesia’s abundant natural resources. In 2022, the UN provided technical support with drafting two ministerial regulations, one of which will serve as the basis of Indonesia’s carbon emissions trading scheme, while the other sets the direction for sustainable forest management programmes.

The UN is supporting the improvement of Indonesia’s national strategy document on forestry management, which will direct sustainable forest management programmes until 2030. The Government and the UN invited local stakeholders to discuss how to implement sustainable low-carbon development in APL areas (land allocated for non-forest purposes whose ecosystems enjoy enhanced protection). Meanwhile, district-level authorities formed a mechanism to share and develop climate change-related expertise. By December 2022, these interventions had resulted in the significant expansion of APL areas.

Additionally, the UN facilitated the development of a reference for enhancing land use protection strategy in Sintang, and continued discussions with the Government to review and refine the proposed boundary modifications for the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatera (TRHS) site.

Sustainable urban development is an equally critical aspect of sound land management. In 2022, the UN undertook rapid urban profiling through evidence-based spatial approaches, tying in applicable urban finance and governance dimensions.

UN entities leading the delivery of this output: UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, and UNODC

The UN in Indonesia has worked across several sectors to facilitate an improved national industrial policy related to hazardous waste management and reducing its impact on the environment. Collectively, these actions are known as the Brown Agenda.

The UN continues to support the Government’s aim of eliminating harmful Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) waste from transformers, with an overall target of making Indonesia PCB-free by the end of 2028. These joint efforts trained 2,000 people, including government officials, on technical guidance for handling PCBs, and resulted in the adoption of new PCB management plans by major industries. The establishment of a PCB treatment facility will also be supported along with procurement of PCB testing equipment.

From the first quarter of 2023, the UN will also implement the Global GreenChem Innovation and Network programme in Indonesia, which is designed to scale up green chemistry for persistent organic pollutants, mercury, and microplastics replacement.

In 2022, the UN conducted a series of bilateral meetings to introduce their collaborative Unwaste project on anti-waste trafficking to potential Government counterparts. The UN has also been supporting government development of a food waste database that collects primary data from three provinces, and will be used as a reference to advance action plans for better food management of loss and waste. Meanwhile, it is working to reduce the use of dangerous chemicals in the extractive industries, including by aiding development of a national standard to certify mercury-free gold, and conducting awareness campaigns on the risks of mercury exposure.