As the project embarks on to its second year of implementation in 2022, the 2nd Project Steering Committee meeting was held virtually on 22nd December 2021 for project AFoCO/023/2021 for “Innovative solution for climate change and biodiversity landscape strategy to support SDGs in Indonesia”. The meeting was held to discuss the following agendas: follow-up of the 1st PSC meeting regarding the Records of Discussion (RoD), annual progress and financial report of 2021 and project performance analysis based on the Project Implementation Plan (PIP) Matrix, annual work plan and budget for 2022 along with the discussion for project coping-up measures under the COVID-19 pandemic to be approved and discussed by the PSC meeting.
Before proceeding on to the set agendas, the Indonesian side introduced the reorganization of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, where Mr. Ary Sudijanto, the new Director-General of Agency for Standardization of Environment and Forestry Instruments, Ministry of Environment and Forestry would be the new National Focal Point of AFoCO, and Dr. Wening Sri Wulandari, the new Acting Director of Center for Standardization of Sustainable Forest Management Instruments, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, who has been assigned to be the new Representative to AFoCO Assembly. The meeting was joined by the Project Steering Committee members and provincial officers of the project sites from Indonesia and the AFoCO Secretariat. Chaired by Dr. Wening Sri Wulandari, the meeting formally welcomed all participants to the 2nd PSC meeting and started the meeting with introductions on both sides with warm welcomes.
During the meeting, the Project Manager, Dr. Hesti L. Tata, Principal Researcher, Center for Standardization of Sustainable Forest Management Instruments, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, briefly presented the recap of the 1st PSC’s record of the discussion. After the brief recap, she proceeded with the follow-up activities, the 2021 annual progress & financial report, and project performance analysis based on the PIP matrix which was followed by a presentation on the annual work plan and budget for 2022 covering 12 months from January to December.
The AFoCO Secretariat acknowledged the project achievements and on-time progress of the project despite the tremendous challenges posed by the pandemic situation which could not have made conducting the activities any easier than before. The meeting adjourned with hopes that the COVID-19 situation would improve in the future for the next PSC meeting planned for December 2022, to be held in person, and for the Indonesian side to visit Seoul and the Secretariat in time for the 15th World Forestry Congress next year in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Submitted by CHA Jiyea, team assistant
