Zulhas Urges Immediate Utilisation of Rp22 Trillion Environmental Fund
Environmental funds must be utilised immediately to care for the environment and the communities living around protected areas, including the Papua region.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas), has requested that the utilisation of approximately Rp22 trillion in environmental funds managed by the Environmental Fund Management Agency (BPDLH) be accelerated, including for the people of Papua.
Zulhas, who also serves as the Chairman of the BPDLH Steering Committee, stated that the government is currently implementing reforms to ensure that regulations do not hinder the use of funds for environmental protection and the welfare of local communities.
“Funds must not be stalled by regulations, leading to unnecessary meetings. Environmental funds must be immediately available to care for the environment and the communities around these areas, including the Papua region,” he said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.
He made these remarks during the Papua Action for Development, Economy, and Sustainable Nature (PAPEDA) Summit 2026, held in Sorong, Southwest Papua, on Wednesday (2/9).
The government previously noted that the environmental funds managed by BPDLH amount to approximately 1.33 billion US dollars, or about Rp22 trillion, and is working to accelerate their use through strengthened governance.
These improvements are a follow-up to Presidential Regulation Number 4t of 2026, which amends Presidential Regulation Number 77 of 2018 regarding the Management of Environmental Funds. This regulation includes the appointment of the Coordinating Minister for Food as the Chairman of the BPDLH Steering Committee.
Meanwhile, distribution through several environmental programmes is already underway. In August 2026, the Coordinating Ministry for Food accelerated the disbursement of Rp253.1 billion in Results-Based Payment (RBP) funds for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) programme, supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), to 10 provinces.
Three regions in Papua were included in this disbursement: Papua, Highland Papua, and South Papua.
The Coordinating Ministry for Food noted that since the implementation of the RBP REDD+ GCF project in August 2023 until July 2026, BPDLH has disbursed more than Rp500 billion, or approximately 37 per cent of the total project allocation, to beneficiaries. A total of 24 provinces have received financial support.
During the PAPEDA Summit 2026, the Coordinating Minister for Food also emphasised that development in Papua must provide maximum benefits to local communities while maintaining environmental sustainability and the involvement of indigenous peoples.
“Papua possesses extraordinary natural wealth and potential. However, the measure of development success is not merely how much of that potential we can manage. The ultimate measure is how much benefit is felt by the people of Papua,” he added.
The PAPEDA Summit 2026 is taking place in Sorong from 2–4 September 2026, bringing together the government, indigenous communities, civil society organisations, academics, development partners, and other stakeholders to discuss sustainable development in the Land of Papua.