Indonesia reaffirmed its leadership on freshwater and peatland conservation during UNEA-7 in December at the session titled, “Community-Based Freshwater and Peatland Conservation for a Resilient Planet”, held in collaboration with UNEP and the Global Peatlands Initiative.

The session highlighted the importance of integrated, community-driven peatland restoration and sustainable lake management, with a focus on advancing the implementation of UNEA Resolutions 4/16 on Conservation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands and 5/4 on Sustainable Lake Management.

Indonesia’s Vice Minister of the Environment and Environmental Control, Diaz Hendropriyono, called for stronger international collaboration on peatland conservation and reported on Indonesia’s national achievements in community-based conservation. UNEP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Dechen Tsering, commended Indonesia’s leadership and shared how the Global Peatlands Initiative, is providing the science for action, such as through the Global Peatland Hotspot Atlas and the Global Peatlands Assessment, and is empowering communities through the Venice Agreement – a transdisciplinary and living community of practice for scaling peatland conservation.

However, the event made clear that empowering communities and advancing nature-based solutions are central to addressing the triple planetary crisis, and that the science is calling for immediate and ambitious action.