RI, M’sia, EU Form JTF-Ad Hoc to Tackle Deforestation Business Impacts

Indonesia, Malaysia, and the European Union have agreed to establish an Ad Hoc Joint Task Force (JTF) on European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The Kick-off Meeting of the Ad Hoc JTF was conducted last Friday in Jakarta.

The meeting was co-chaired by Musdhalifah Machmud, Deputy Minister for Food and Agribusiness of Indonesia; Datuk Mad Zaidi Mohd Karli, Secretary General of the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities of Malaysia; and Astrid Schomaker, Director for Green Diplomacy and Multilateralism of the European Commission.

Musdhalifah said that the JTF was a platform for consultation and coordination between the three parties and to promote mutual understanding. “JTF is a platform that functions as a consultative mechanism to support coordination and promote mutual understanding between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the European Union,” she said, as the New Straits Times quoted on Sunday.

Mad Zaidi highlighted that cooperation was the key to finding solutions and that best practices from different sectors could inspire them. Schomaker acknowledged the progress made by Indonesia and Malaysia in reducing deforestation and welcomed further information and clarification on the regulation.