ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA — Despite being home to one of the largest tropical rainforests in the world and holding a strategic position as a G20 member, Indonesia’s delegation at the COP30 UNFCCC Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, held from 10–21 November, played a passive role.
Indonesia failed to demonstrate strong diplomacy or push ambitious commitments to phase out fossil fuels and halt deforestation.
Leonard Simanjuntak, Country Director of Greenpeace Indonesia, stated that the Indonesian delegation even ignored constitutional mandates. The preamble of Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution emphasizes the nation’s duty to participate in maintaining world order, a responsibility particularly relevant amid the current climate crisis.
“Yet in Belém, Indonesia, which could have been a key player, unfortunately chose to remain a spectator,” Leonard said at the press conference Reflections from COP30: Next Steps for Just Climate Action on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, in Jakarta.
Also present were Timer Manurung, Executive Director of Auriga Nusantara; Nadia Hadad, Executive Director of MADANI Berkelanjutan; Ari Mochamad, Climate Change and Energy Lead at WWF Indonesia; Eustobio Rero Renggi, Deputy I Secretary General of the Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) for Organizational Affairs; Bimantara Adjie Wardhana, Legal Advocacy Division Supervisor at HuMa; Fiorentina Refani, Socio-Bioeconomy Director at CELIOS; and Ayub Paa representing Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation. Joining online was Torry Kuswardono, Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Alliance for Climate Justice (ARUKI) and Executive Director of PIKUL Foundation from Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.
Timer Manurung added that Indonesia merely followed from behind, failing to seize the opportunity to lead, support the cessation of fossil fuel use, or halt deforestation.
“I see no significant Indonesian diplomatic role. Indonesia was present only because our country has the third-largest tropical forest, not because of its performance or diplomacy,” he said.
Torry Kuswardono noted that G20 countries have not shown leadership, and Indonesia in particular has never taken a proactive stance. “Indonesia has always been odd in this regard—never leading, always waiting in the background,” he said.
Ayub Paa criticized the delegation’s statements at COP30 for not reflecting realities on the ground.
“The oil and forest issues discussed at COP concern indigenous peoples’ lands, yet indigenous communities were barely involved in these discussions.”
During the event, the Indonesian government opened a lavish pavilion and promoted green economic solutions.
“Meanwhile, in Papua, two million hectares of forest were cleared. I feel deep sadness, even anger,” Ayub said.
Fiorentina Refani of CELIOS emphasized that Indonesia’s stance at COP30 contradicts the urgency of the climate crisis, which demands a rapid shift away from fossil fuels.
“Being named ‘Fossil of the Day’ for bringing the largest number of fossil lobbyists and delegates is a slap in the face, showing that Indonesia’s commitment to energy transition is far from adequate,” she said.
Fiorentina also noted that Indonesia used COP30 primarily as a platform to sell carbon through daily buyer-seller sessions, targeting transactions of up to IDR 16 trillion. She warned that this aggressive approach could impose fiscal burdens due to costly monitoring, reporting, and verification systems, and pointed out the lack of protection for indigenous tenure rights.
“Without passing the Indigenous Peoples Bill to protect territorial rights, the carbon market will exploit indigenous lands, which are critical carbon sinks.”
Ari Mochamad from WWF noted that COP discussions progress slowly each year, partly due to shifts in national leadership. Civil society, he suggested, can play a stronger role in pushing for global agreements.
“Perhaps in the future, a two-week civil society conference could amplify these voices nationally,” he said.
Eustobio Rero Renggi highlighted that COP30 did deliver a key decision accommodating indigenous collective rights in the Just Transition Work Programme, reaffirming respect for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), self-determination, and protection for voluntarily isolated indigenous communities.
This decision is a critical opportunity for Indonesia, which committed at COP30 to recognize 1.4 million hectares of indigenous forests—a starting point that needs expansion, given that 33.6 million hectares of indigenous territorial maps have been submitted to the government, and 160 million hectares of tenure have international commitments.
“If Indonesia wants to lead, it must accelerate indigenous rights recognition. Most importantly, it should pass the Indigenous Peoples Bill so that the government’s COP30 commitments are more than political promises on a global stage,” he said.
Torry Kuswardono added that while COP30 marked significant progress for indigenous peoples, implementation in each country remains key.
“In Indonesia, the struggle is still long, particularly regarding direct funding access for communities, which is far from realized,” he said.
COP30 Fails to Produce Concrete Climate Commitments
Nadia Hadad of MADANI Berkelanjutan criticized COP30 for failing to deliver adequate plans to address the climate crisis. Emission reduction targets remain weak, funding mechanisms unclear, and major countries’ commitments show little progress. Despite claims of tripling adaptation funding, she noted that implementation details are not transparently presented.
“No concrete plan exists, and it’s unclear who will pay. A roadmap is urgently needed,” she said.
Leonard Simanjuntak added that COP30 did not produce concrete commitments to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Greenpeace reports indicate that greenhouse gas emissions, including those from deforestation, are still rising in several countries, including Indonesia.
“COP30 failed to deliver the expected results,” he said.
According to Leonard, COP30 did not provide a clear roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, halt and reverse deforestation, or increase climate action funding.
“Holding COP30 in Brazil, home to the world’s largest tropical rainforest, yet producing worse outcomes than COP28 in Dubai, is alarming. At least Dubai mentioned a transition away from fossil fuels,” he said.
Bimantara Adjie Wardhana of HuMa criticized COP as an elite arena to protect self-interest. He also highlighted the lack of biodiversity discussions, despite the Rio Declaration of 1992 from COP15 establishing 27 sustainable development principles, including environmental protection as integral to socio-economic development.
Regarding biodiversity, he noted that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was born from these principles, emphasizing nations’ rights over their biological resources while obliging them to conserve, sustainably use, and fairly share benefits.
“We cannot let climate frameworks destroy biodiversity, as seen in Papua,” he warned.
A’s reference, The Civil Society Coalition for Climate Justice (JustCOP) is a network advocating for rights-based, democratic climate governance, placing affected communities at the center of change. (AT Network)
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