Coalition to Guard the Indigenous Peoples Bill Urges the Ratification of the Indigenous Peoples Law in 2025

Jakarta, May 8, 2025 – The Coalition to Guard the Indigenous Peoples Bill, consisting of more than 40 civil society organizations, officially released a Policy Brief titled "Weaving the Strength of the Indonesian Nation-State Towards the Enactment of the Indigenous Peoples Law". This document serves as a concrete demand for the DPR and the Government to immediately ratify the Indigenous Peoples Bill, which has been delayed since 2009.

Content and Purpose of the Policy Brief 

This policy brief presents a long historical record of the struggle for the ratification of the Indigenous Peoples Law, starting from President Joko Widodo's Nawacita promise in 2014 that has not been fulfilled, to the stagnation of the Bill's discussion in the DPR for more than a decade. The main objectives of this policy brief are:To encourage the ratification of the Indigenous Peoples Bill in the 2025 Priority National Legislation Program.To affirm the minimum substance that must be included in the Bill, including:Definition of indigenous peoples,Registration and recognition mechanisms,Rights to territory, culture, and intellectual property,Protection of the rights of indigenous women and youth,Conflict resolution mechanisms,Affirmative actions for protection against criminalization.The coalition also highlights the low level of recognition of indigenous territories by the government. Of the 32.3 million hectares of indigenous territories registered by BRWA, only 5.3 million hectares have been recognized by local governments. Meanwhile, the designation of customary forests is still far from the mandate of Constitutional Court Decision No. 35/2012.

Warning Against the Criminalization Crisis

The policy brief also contains alarming records of the criminalization of indigenous peoples. In the last decade, there have been 687 agrarian conflicts in indigenous territories covering an area of 11 million hectares, and more than 925 people have been criminalized. The year 2024 recorded 121 cases of indigenous territory seizures, resulting in the loss of 2.8 million hectares from 140 communities.Support for UNDRIP and the ConstitutionThe coalition asserts that the struggle for the recognition of indigenous peoples' rights is in line with Article 18B paragraph (2) and Article 28I paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution, as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Therefore, this legislative delay is not only a denial of the constitution but also a violation of international human rights commitments.The Coalition to Guard the Indigenous Peoples Bill calls on the DPR and the Government to immediately ratify the Indigenous Peoples Law this year, as a concrete step to stop the legal uncertainty, cultural destruction, and ongoing criminalization faced by indigenous communities throughout Indonesia.

Read more about the Coalition to Guard the Indigenous Peoples Bill Policy Brief: Weaving the Strength of the Indonesian Nation-State Towards the Enactment of the Indigenous Peoples Law