Commemorating 10 Years of the ICCAs Indonesia Working Group: Time to Reunite to Strengthen Territories of Life

In October 2011, the first ICCA Symposium was held in Indonesia as a collaboration between the global ICCA Consortium and several civil society organizations in Indonesia. This event led to the formation of the Working Group on ICCAs Indonesia (WGII), a platform and movement for ICCAs that has successfully advanced the agenda of customary conservation in Indonesia. This issue is often marginalized and legally overlooked despite there being more than 17 million hectares of registered Customary Territories in Indonesia, and more than 420,000 hectares of ICCAs documented – just a small fraction of the immense ICCA potential in the country. WGII has been a member of the ICCA Consortium since 2015 and includes 10 main organizations and networks in its membership, namely BRWA, JKPP, AMAN, KIARA, NTFP-EP, WALHI, Sawit Watch, Pusaka, HuMa, and WWF Indonesia.

In December 2021, WGII held a general assembly and social event to commemorate its 10th anniversary and strengthen its membership and founding spirit. Reflections and thoughts from WGII members and founders and from communities that have worked most closely with WGII, along with beautiful songs and traditional dances, helped revive the purpose and important role of WGII in advocating for Indigenous Peoples' rights and their conservation wisdom for fair and effective natural resource governance in Indonesia. During this event, WGII also took the opportunity to soft launch a Short Documentary Film About ICCAs and two new publications: "The Long Struggle of Indonesia's Indigenous Peoples: conservation and living spaces – fifteen ICCA stories in Indonesia" and "50 indigenous voices for nature and humanity", both of which will soon be available online.

We would like to remember two elders who were part of the 2011 event and have since passed on: Taghi Farvar, the First President of the ICCA Consortium, and Pak Anye Apui, the customary head of Bahau Hulu Kenyah in North Kalimantan. When the Bahau Hulu Customary Territory was officially recognized in 2019, that achievement was dedicated to him in his memory. They were fundamentally important to the founding of the ICCA Consortium and WGII, respectively, and continue to be an inspiration to this day.

By Cindy Julianty and Cristina Eghenter

source: https://www.iccaconsortium.org/index.php/2022/02/08/celebrating-10-year-anniversary-working-group-iccas-indonesia/