Bali Hosts Asia Learning Exchange on Social Inclusiveness

[Bali, Indonesia, May 31, 2023] "For us, water (lake-red) is sacred as a source of our life, besides the forest. An investor came to our indigenous community. He said, 'the natural wealth, culture, and rituals that the community possesses are extraordinary. This will definitely be an interesting attraction for visitors,'" said Mr. Putu Ardana from the Indigenous Community of Dalem Tamblingan, Buleleng, Bali, quoting one of the investors who had obtained permission to open tourism facilities from the Central Government in the sacred area of the Dalem Tamblingan indigenous community.

"We learned a lot about how communities manage their natural resources using traditions and local resources. Men and women manage together," said one of the Asia Exchange Learning participants from Nepal.

Several non-profit organizations at the Asian level organized an event titled Asia Learning Exchange on Social Inclusiveness and Youth. The event, which took place in Bali from May 29 to June 2, 2023, aimed to bring together members and partners from organizations across Asia to strengthen the protection of people's land rights.

The event organizers, including the Civil Society Coalition for Tenure Justice in Indonesia (Tenure Coalition/KT), International Land Coalition (ILC), Samdhana Institute, and Tenure Facility (TF), explained that the Asia Learning Exchange on Social Inclusiveness and Youth focuses on formulating various ideas and effective ways to enhance the inclusion of women, youth, and marginalized groups in protecting community rights over land and natural resources, indigenous territories, and the environment.

"Indonesia has a long history related to structural inequality in land ownership. The state controls land, including indigenous territories. Through licensing schemes, the state grants permits to large-scale companies in various sectors, as well as for infrastructure development without the consent of Indigenous Peoples and local communities," said Rukka Sombolinggi, Secretary General of AMAN, which is also one of the organizing organizations.

Land and indigenous territories, which include the living space of communities, for people's food needs, settlements, forests with important ecosystems (mangroves, peatlands, karst, etc.), often become areas of conflict and competition for land control. This often impacts Indigenous Peoples, farmers, fishermen, and local communities who often become victims of criminalization, even though what they are doing is defending their land, living space, and human rights.

Learning Exchange

The Asia Learning Exchange began with a two-day visit to four locations spread across the islands of Java, Bali, and West Nusa Tenggara.

Delegates from various countries such as Nepal, India, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Timor Leste, the Philippines, and Bangladesh visited and discussed with residents, farmers, and Indigenous Peoples, including women and young people, in these four locations, before starting the major forum in Bali to meet, listen, and share experiences with communities about grassroots consultative approaches to promote land tenure justice.

The community visits not only show Indonesia as a country with complex agrarian issues but also a strong civil society consistently implementing inclusive agrarian reform (true agrarian reform) and assessing that the idea of agrarian reform goes beyond merely providing land certificates. Women and young people are among the actors who specifically become active participants and speakers in this learning session.

"Through this forum, the agrarian reform movement in Indonesia wants to affirm that the struggle for land rights is an effort to build agrarian reform practices on people's initiative to realize agrarian sovereignty and justice for farmers, fishermen, communities, and rural people. This can only be achieved with strong and organized people's organizations," said Dewi Kartika, Secretary General of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA).

Tenurial Guarantee for the People of Indonesia

The Asia Learning Exchange is part of the preparation process for the Tenure Conference to be held in September 2023. Under the theme "Realizing Social and Environmental Justice: Tenurial Guarantee for the People of Indonesia," this Asia Learning Exchange activity will serve as a reflective forum, as well as enrich information about tenure from various countries with their complexities, especially obtaining various voices from communities, including the voices of women and youth, to become inputs, principles, values, and topics that will guide the organization of the Tenure Conference 2023.

"This learning exchange forum is a very good medium to strengthen the community's struggle for tenurial justice, both for participants from various other regions and countries, as well as the communities that host this learning exchange," said Mardhatillah, Coordinator of the Tenure Coalition.

This activity is part of the pre-tenure conference to be held this year, after previously being held in 2011 and 2017. The 2023 Tenure Conference this time will focus more on the voices of the community, as an effort to promote community-based "development."

Editor's Note:

Asia Learning Exchange on Social Inclusiveness and Youth is organized by the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations for Tenure Justice in Indonesia (KT), International Land Coalition (ILC), Samdhana Institute, and Tenure Facility (TF).
About the Coalition for Tenure Justice in Indonesia (KT): https://koalisikeadilantenure.com/kami/
About Tenure Facility: https://thetenurefacility.org
About International Land Coalition (ILC): https://www.landcoalition.org
About Samdhana Institute: https://samdhana.org
The field visits are organized and coordinated by ILC members and TF partners in Indonesia: Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), Indigenous Territory Registration Agency (BRWA) & WGII (Working Group ICCAs Indonesia), Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), and Sajogyo Institute (SAINS)

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