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Courtesy of Sonya Dyah Kusumadewi, August 2020
On 4 March 2020, CIFOR and Indonesian partners (World Agroforestry – ICRAF, Wildlife Conservation Society – WCS, Research Center for Climate Change University of Indonesia – RCCC UI, Bogor Agricultural University – IPB, and University of Lampung – UNILA) presented a research workshop as a kick-off event for Trade, Development and the Environment Hub (Trade Hub) activities in Indonesia. The workshop aimed to introduce Trade Hub to key stakeholders, communicate scoping study findings, and gain perspectives, insights, contexts and feedback on the project, framework and findings. The event’s 154 participants included representatives of national and sub-national governments, academics, researchers, independent experts, private sector players, business associations, consultants, financial sector players, international agencies, NGOs/CSOs and journalists.
The event began with a plenary session for the grand launch of Trade Hub research activities in Indonesia including the Trade Hub Indonesia website. The Director General of CIFOR, Dr. Robert Nasi and CIFOR Value Chains, Finance and Investment Team Leader, Dr. Michael Brady welcomed participants with opening addresses on ‘Science-policy interface in Indonesia’ and ‘The role of research for sustainable trade and environmental conservation’. The event continued with keynote speeches from a number of high high-ranking officials from the Government of Indonesia. The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture at the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, Musdhalifah Machmud delivered a speech on ‘Sustainable production and trade of palm oil and coffee for development in Indonesia’; the Head of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s Research and Innovation Agency, Dr. Agus Justianto delivered a speech on ‘Sustainable trade for environment and forestry sustainability’; and the Assistant Deputy for Trade and Industry Coordination under the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ichsan Zulkarnaen, PhD spoke about ‘Sustainable trade and investment in the Omnibus Law Draft and Potential Impact for Environmental Sustainability’. Also attending the workshop were Principal Investigator of the Trade Hub project from UNEP-WCMC, Professor Neil Burgess, and Trade Hub Indonesia coordinator, Professor Herry Purnomo, who introduced the project to the audience.
Keynote speakers at the opening of the Trade Hub Indonesia kick-off workshop (Left to right, first row to third row: Dr. Robert Nasi, Dr. Michael Brady, Musdhalifah Machmud, Dr. Agus Justianto, Ichsan Zulkarnaen, PhD., Professor Herry Purnomo and Professor Neil Burgess).
Grand launch of Trade Hub in Indonesia by the project’s principal investigator, high-ranking Indonesian government officials and Trade Hub partners in Indonesia.
The next stage of the workshop involved parallel sessions where the Trade Hub Indonesia team led three thematic discussions on palm oil trading; coffee and wild species trading; and trade policies, scenario development and capacity building. The parallel sessions began with presentations on the Trade Hub research team’s research plan and scoping study results. Relevant stakeholders then discussed each theme further through a discussion panel. Presentations and lists of discussion participants are available here. During each session, time was allocated for participants to deliver critical input. A Google Survey feedback form and written form were available for participants to provide input. During a subsequent wrap-up session, moderators of the three parallel sessions relayed the results of each session to the audience. The workshop closed with a closing address and remarks by Professor Bustanul Arifin from Lampung University.
Following the event, the Trade Hub research team considered the critical input it had received and used it to improve the research design and highlight key issues for research activities. The workshop went well, with most stakeholders showing their support for the project and hoping its findings and results would prove useful for solving challenges and problems relating to sustainable trade in Indonesia. The event also constituted a communication and networking platform for stakeholders.
Material from the kick-off workshop is available here.
For any inquiries regarding Trade Hub Indonesia, please contact Sonya Dyah (s.dyah@cgiar.org).
Visit the Trade Hub global website here.