REDD+ Alert: World Bank discrimination against Indigenous Peoples in the East Kalimantan jurisdictional REDD project
No free, prior informed consent. No benefits. No recognition of Indigenous Peoples' rights.
The World Bank’s East Kalimantan Jurisdictional Emissions Reduction Program (EK-JERP) is supposed to be the blueprint for results-based climate finance initiatives in Indonesia. But a November 2024 report published by the Forest Peoples Programme, Kawari, Perkumpulan Nurani Perempuan, and Re:wild found that the programme “discriminates against indigenous peoples and does not respect their rights”.
The report is titled, “REDD+ Alert: How the World Bank’s jurisdictional REDD+ pilot in East Kalimantan discriminates against indigenous peoples,” and is written by Angus MacInnes of Forest Peoples Programme and Martha Doq of Perkumpulan Nurani Perempuan.
The EK-JERP is the first of the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility-Carbon Fund pilots in Indonesia. A key part of the programme is the Benefit Sharing Plan which establishes whether communities can benefit from the EK-JERP.
Complaint to the World Bank’s Grievance Redress Service
The REDD+ Alert report found that the Benefit Sharing Plan “acts as an inadequate mechanism for communities to access program benefits”. The design of the EK-JERP has marginalised the Dayak Bahau Indigenous Peoples of Long Isun.
The Dayak Bahau Indigenous Peoples have made several attempts to have their existence legally recognised since 2018 when regulations to recognise indigenous peoples were approved in Mahakam Ulu district. But the district government has stalled and delayed their efforts.
In March 2024, the Dayak Bahau filed a complaint to the World Bank’s Grievance Redress Service. The complaint requested that the EK-JERP act as a catalyst for law and policy reform and an acceleration of land titling and realisation of self-governance rights.
Since the complaint was filed, the Indonesian State has threatened and intimidated the Dayak Bahau of Long Isun to withdraw the complaint and to consent to the EK-JERP.
The REDD+ Alert report notes that,
The increased risk of reprisal has, to date, not been adequately addressed by the GRS [the World Bank’s Grievance Redress Service] and more resolute action by the World Bank is required to remedy these violations.
FCPF is a carbon trading mechanism
The REDD+ Alert report does not provide any analysis of the systemic problems with trading the carbon stored in forests in Indonesia against continued greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels in rich countries.
Instead, the REDD+ Alert report states that the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility provides States with “incentives for efforts to reduce emissions while protecting forests, conserving biodiversity, and improving the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities”.
But since it was launched at COP13 in Bali, in 2007, the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility has always been a carbon trading mechanism. Here’s what the Bank’s December 2007 press release about the launch of the FCPF has to say on the matter:
The facility’s ultimate goal is to jump-start a forest carbon market that tips the economic balance in favor of conserving forests, says Benoit Bosquet, a World Bank senior natural resources management specialist who has led the development of the facility.
Safeguards
World Bank safeguards for Indigenous Peoples require a process of “free, prior, and informed consultations” rather than free, prior and informed consent. However, free, prior and informed consent is required in Indonesia’s Sistem Informasi Safeguards and consent is referred to in EK-JERP documents such as this slide from a 2019 presentation:
Indonesia’s Readiness Plan (R-Plan) fails to even mention Indigenous Peoples. In June 2009, Indonesian NGOs AMAN (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara) and Sawit Watch wrote to the Minister of Forestry expressing their concerns about the draft R-Plan.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted the failure to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights in Indonesia’s engagement with the World Bank.
Nevertheless the World Bank approved Indonesia’s R-Plan.
In 2015, East Kalimantan was selected as a pilot FCPF province and in 2019, the FCPF Carbon Fund agreed to pay Indonesia at total of US$110 million through an Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement.
In November 2022, the first payment of US$20.9 million was made. The project will finish in December 2025, with the final payment depending on whether the CO₂ emissions reduction targets are met.
Indigenous rights not respected
Research carried out in 2023 by Perkumpulan Nurani Perempuan and Forest Peoples Programme found that the EK-JERP fails to comply with international human rights standards. The EK-JERP was developed without informing the Dayak Bahau Indigenous Peoples, let alone ensuring their meaningful participation.
Village government officials have been invited to three consultations. The first in 2019 and the second in 2023. The REDD+ Alert report notes that,
In both meetings the information shared by EK-JERP staff was overly technical and not culturally appropriate, and the top-down nature of consultations prevented any meaningful participation by the Dayak Bahau. Participants left both meetings uncertain of the rationale for the consultation.
In August 2024, the Dayak Bahau declined to attend a third proposed consultation. In their complaint to the World Bank’s Grievance Redress Service they explained that they were concerned that their presence at the meeting would be interpreted as consent for the project.
In the complaint, Dayak Bahau participants described EK-JERP consultations as “incoherent, unclear, and confusing”. Their participation was “perfunctory”. The consultations failed to “ensure that affected communities have complete understanding of the project impacts”. And the consultations did not allow meaningful participation in “decision making that affect[ed] them”.
No benefits from EK-JERP
In order to qualify for benefits under the EK-JERP communities have to be recognised as customary law communities (Masyarakat Hukum Adat). Yet less than 1% of Indigenous Peoples in East Kalimantan have been legally recognised as existing.
The REDD+ Alert report quotes from the Bank’s Emission Reductions Program Document, which states that non-Indigenous communities and individuals are not required to be formally recognised or accredited “to be eligible in receiving the benefit from the ER [Emissions Reduction] Program”.
Clearly, this is discriminatory.
The REDD+ Alert report points out that,
The Indonesian State’s reaction to the complaint has been extremely concerning, leading to further rights violations, exposing the failings of EK-JERP consultation practices, and raising doubts about REDD+’s claim that it “at a minimum, does not harm forest-dependent communities or the environment”.
District authorities threatened to withhold the process of legal recognition for villages that did not attend EK-JERP consultations.
When they were invited to meetings supposedly about being recognised as customary law communities, Long Isun representatives “were unexpectedly compelled to participate in an FPIC socialization session” the REDD+ Alert report reports. At the meeting, village representatives were coerced into signing consent documents for the EK-JERP.
The Dayak Bahau have subsequently issued a formal statement that they do not consent and choose to opt-out of the project.
In September 2024, program staff erected a sign on Long Isun’s land, without their consent. The sign stated “Forest Benefit Area”.
The REDD+ Alert report notes that,
This bold attempt to categorise Long Isun’s lands and impose the idea that this it is an agreed benefit area, without prior consultation and meaningful participation of the broader Long Isun community, undermines the expression of Long Isun’s customary rights and creates new barriers to their ongoing recognition process.
Recommendations
The REDD+ Alert report ends with a series of recommendations:
Do not disburse the remaining tranche of the Carbon Fund of the FCPF until the complaint is resolved.
Present the complainants with a clear timeline of when the World Bank’s plans to carry out the Benefit Sharing Plan verification and Safeguard compliance monitoring for further disbursement.
Ensure the integrity and effectiveness of the World Bank’s accountability process and uphold its strict policy against any form of retaliation against affected peoples who raise concerns about World Bank projects.
Elevate Long Isun’s complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel. In accordance with Inspection Panel guidelines, carry out a risk of retaliation assessment, considering the information provided in this briefing, and conduct a site visit in accordance with its’ guidelines on preventative measures.
Designate country-level FCPF IP focal points/advisory groups for effective engagement with indigenous peoples (incl. at the regional level), establishing effective communication channels between these focal points and FCPF, to monitor the implementation of the results of the consultations and dialogues as well as provide updates and recommendations to FCPF.
Increase financial resources for the FCPF Indigenous Peoples Capacity Building Program.
Provide a mechanism for direct access to the Carbon Fund for indigenous peoples in future jurisdictions in Indonesia.
Provide legal and technical support to the provincial government and the Ministry of Forestry and Environment (KLHK) in East Kalimantan to recognise the existence and territorial rights of indigenous peoples as part of the EnABLE project and EK-JERP.
Well done.
Your statement--"World Bank safeguards for Indigenous Peoples require a process of 'free, prior, and informed consultations' rather than free, prior and informed consent-- is, AFAIK, not quite right.
The Bank's Environmental and Social Standards: Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities Safeguards (revised in 2016 after a long internal fight; link is chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/837721522762050108/Environmental-and-Social-Framework.pdf) do require consent (paras 24-28) while admitting the truth that "There is no universally accepted definition of consent".
That said, the most recent (May 2024 & December 2024) Bank supervision reports (known as ISRs; chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099120624060035668/pdf/P166244-e5964158-18fe-4f86-b798-6d7abf21052c.pdf) say nothing about safeguards or a grievance process (beyond re-stating the obvious fact that it is a high risk project). To skip mention of safeguards in the disclosable ISRs on a high risk project is unacceptable and the Bank Country Director (Carolyn Turk) and VP (Manuela Ferro) for Indonesia (unnamed in the disclosable ISRs for the usual reasons) should be ashamed.
The World Bank is a colonialist financial-control hub located in Washington DC. These carbon projects operators work exactly like urban city-planners, simply just rezone the little people away from building your dreams. Again, they've called these projects "emissions reduction" when they merely, in an ideal world, offset ongoing emissions elsewhere, if at all. All financializations of Nature are part of the neo-liberal agenda to have The Market supposedly enhance the environment since doing this by regulations limits "economic freedom."