Strengthening Institutional Capacity in the Forest Management Sector through Corruption Risk Assessment in Papua and West Papua Province

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Papua and West Papua (Indonesia), May and November 2022 - The forestry sector is an important source of public revenue for Indonesia. According to data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the total area of forested land across Indonesia is 94.1M hectares (2019). Unfortunately, corruption has facilitated illegal logging and undermined sustainable allocation and use of land.

UNODC, together with the Government of Indonesia, has been involved in combatting forestry crime and corruption in Indonesia since 2010. A significant recent achievement of this partnership includes identifying corruption risks in the forestry sector in the main timber production provinces of South Sumatra (2018) and East Kalimantan (2019). These assessments were conducted in cooperation with the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and respective provincial governments

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In early May 2022, UNODC conducted an on-site corruption risk assessment in the forestry sector in collaboration with the Provincial Governments of Papua and West Papua. Papua Island is especially significant because it is home to the largest forested area in Indonesia, accounting for more than 30% of the country’s forested area and possesses three times the diversity of plants on the island of Java. Throughout the risk assessment process, vulnerabilities for corruption and the potential severity of its effects were identified in the business process of forest land acquisition for land-based businesses.

The corruption risk assessment involved interviewing several key partners in forestry management, including provincial government officials, representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, academics, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). The objective of the risk assessment was to identify a set of potential risks, determine which should be prioritized, and develop and implement efficient, cost-effective mitigation strategies. This process will strengthen the ability of relevant stakeholders in national and sub-national governments in the forestry sector to minimize corruption risks and prevent corruption schemes from occurring in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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In finalizing the risk assessment, UNODC conducted a focus group discussion with stakeholders in Papua and West Papua on the 24th and 28th of November 2022 to discuss the findings and recommendations of the report. This was done with the aim of ensuring adoption of the findings and recommendations for further development in the forestry management of Papua and West Papua.

This corruption risk assessment is part of ongoing support to strengthen anti-corruption systems in nine countries across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. These systems bring together anti-corruption authorities, oversight institutions, and procurement bodies to enhance the transparency of public institutions, strengthen whistle-blower protection, and better address national anti-corruption challenges.

This training was part of activities funded by the Ministry of Justice of Government of the Republic of Korea.

Other Useful Links:

  • A description of an earlier UNODC/KPK Corruption Risk Assessment in the Indonesian Forestry Sector conducted in November 2018 can be found here
  • A summary of a recent UNODC Corruption Risk Assessment conducted in Cambodia in November 2022 can be found here

A summary of activities by the UNODC Anti-Corruption Team in Southeast Asia is publicly available via our website here