Jakarta, February 18, 2025 – Indonesia will host the Asia Land Forum, or the Asia-wide Agrarian Forum,
in February 2025. Indonesia’s selection as the host country comes for various reasons, including the
presence of a new government that creates new opportunities for collaboration between civil society
organizations and the government. The Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) hopes that Indonesia will
serve as a best practice in accelerating agrarian reform, rural development, and the strengthening of
people’s cooperatives as a pathway toward food sovereignty and poverty alleviation.

“ALF provides a crucial space for civil society organizations and communities across Asia to discuss
land and agrarian policies, as well as o er people-centered solutions. The forum is also a place of
solidarity, where we unite to support the fight for fair land rights,” Dewi stated.

The overarching theme of ALF 2025 is securing land rights for a just and sustainable future. It
encompasses four major topics: agrarian reform, agrarian conflict, protection of land and
environmental defenders, women’s land rights, and climate action, as well as human, climate, and
environmental concerns.

Anu Verma, the coordinator of the International Land Coalition in Asia, stated that Asia is home to
approximately 4.8 billion people, representing 59.5% of the global population. With a large economic
income, rich natural resources, labor markets, capital, and substantial goods, Asia has become the
epicenter of global economic growth.

“However, mineral hunting in Asia, including in Indonesia, has led to increased land investments,
which often sacrifice local communities. These investments, driven by a competitive global market,
revive a colonial extraction legacy that increasingly harms the people,” said Verma.

Unsurprisingly, Verma continued, land grabbing continues to threaten vulnerable communities.
“Women in Asia own only 10.7% of land, far below the global average, and one in ten women live in
extreme poverty, which exacerbates the challenges for women’s defenders,” she said.

Verma emphasized that the ILC is steadfast in supporting grassroots organizations committed to
promoting community-centered land governance and empowering vulnerable groups such as small
farmers, women, indigenous peoples, and youth to protect their land and secure their rights.

“Indonesia’s selection as the host of the Asia-wide Agrarian Forum signifies the trust from people in
Asia towards the consistency and achievements of the civil society movement in Indonesia. There will
be more than 500 participants from 14 countries in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia,
consisting of government representatives and civil society organizations at this forum,” said Dewi
Kartika, Secretary-General of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), at a press conference in Jakarta
on February 15.

This forum will be held from February 17-21, 2025, starting with community visits to three locations:
the Kasepuhan Jamrud community in Lebak, Banten, an Indigenous community still fighting for land
rights; the Gunung Anten village in Lebak, which has been involved in an agrarian conflict for 32 years
with a private land use permit that has expired; and Sukabumi in Langensari, Sukabumi, the epicenter
of agrarian conflict in West Java.

Meanwhile, Zenzi Suhadi, Executive Director of Walhi, views ALF 2025 as a moment for consolidation
and the political economy struggle of Asian countries in global geopolitical games. Currently, Asia,
which used to be a supplier of raw materials, is being pushed to industrialize. This process disconnects
people from their livelihoods and turns them into cheap labour. Industrialization will also lead to more
environmental damage.

“At present, the government has prioritized policies focused on nutrition, food, and housing for the
people. At first glance, it seems to cater to the people’s interests. But we see this as a threat if not
carried out correctly. ALF 2025 serves as a moment to remind the government to provide the people
with opportunities to determine their own lives through agrarian reform,” Zenzi said.

For Erasmus Cahyadi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago
(AMAN), ALF 2025 is important because Asia is home to a wide diversity of Indigenous Peoples, with
numerous types of conflicts. This situation is closely tied to the national political system itself.

“The ALF forum becomes a space to discuss contemporary issues facing indigenous peoples. With the
presence of the Government at this forum, we can discuss everything related to land rights and
natural resources, which have been the epicenter of indigenous people’s movements in Indonesia. We
hope that through this forum, we can reach an understanding with the Government, so that agrarian
reform can be realized,” said Erasmus.

On the other hand, Imam Hanafi, National Coordinator of the Participatory Mapping Network (JKPP),
sees ALF 2025 as a platform for mutual learning and sharing e orts by communities in many Asian
countries to achieve people’s sovereignty over space. “The conflicts occurring in many places need to
be seriously addressed, especially how important it is for the government to ensure development
without causing agrarian conflicts,” Imam said.

Wahyu Binara Fernandes, Director of Rimbawan Muda Indonesia (RMI), stated that one of the
community visits to Kasepuhan Jamrud will provide an example of how food security can actually
exist. However, the national food system has never a rmed this and continues to open up new land
for palm oil plantations.

“In Lebak District, there are 522 recognized indigenous communities, but only eight adat forests have
received government recognition. Even then, their legal standing needs clarification. Compare this to
corporations that are recognized as land users, especially for National Strategic Projects (PSN),”
Wahyu said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Jaetuloh from the Sajogyo Institute considers ALF as a forum for mutual learning.
“Considering that agrarian conflicts in Indonesia have been going on for six decades, but there is still
no comprehensive policy capable of solving these various issues,” he said.

About International Land Coalition Asia
The International Land Coalition in Asia, is a regional platform of the International Land Coalition (ILC),
a global alliance consisting of 300 civil society organizations that place people at the center of land
governance within the framework of agrarian reform.

ILC Asia is a network of 64 member organizations in 15 countries in the region, with the goal of
advocating for secure land rights for communities living on the land. ILC represents and is
accountable to communities dependent on land, such as farmers, smallholders, women, Indigenous
Peoples, agricultural laborers, landless farmers, fishermen, herders, and forest users. Of the 64
organizations in the region, 24 represent civil society groups that collectively represent 14 million
people in their respective countries.

ALF 2025 is organized by KPA, JKPP, SAINS, and RMI, members of the National Land Coalition (NLC) in
Indonesia, along with strategic alliances such as AMAN, WALHI, and others.

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Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP), a newly joined member of the International Land Coalition and an active participant in the National Land Coalition in the Philippines, will contribute to this regional dialogue, bringing perspectives from the ground and advocating for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Learn more about ILC Asia: https://asia.landcoalition.org/en/