Indonesia initiating establishment of sustainable forest fund

Jakarta, Oct 6 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is initiating the establishment of a new sustainable forest fund institution which is expected to be realized in a United Nation Forum on Forest (UNFF) meeting in New York on Thursday, a forest ministry official said.

Forestry Ministry Secretary General Boen Purnama, who is also UNFF president said here on Monday that the UNFF had agreed to the establishment of the new forest funding institution.

The fund institution is expected to agreed at the eighth UNFF meeting during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc)'s Session in New York.

"This institution will be set up to provide access for island countries and countries which have relatively small forest areas," Boen said.

He said that though there had been agreement to establish the new fund institution, discussions on its details had not yet been made.

In this case, it would give advantage to Indonesia because there would an alternative funding source for sustainable forest management.

He said that the new fund institution would encourage international cooperation and national actions in reducing deforestation and forest degradation while promoting incomes from sustainable forest and cutting the number of poor people who depended their lives on forest.

Boen said that one of the objectives of the fund was to promote international cooperation in financing adaptation and climate change mitigation activities.