Manokwari, West Papua (ANTARA) - Directorate General of Treasury (DJPb) of the Ministry of Finance stated that West Papua Province received a climate change grant allocation of Rp20 billion (around US$1.2 million).

The funds are grants from countries on the European continent, such as Norway, for Indonesia, which are managed by the Environmental Fund Management Agency (BPDLH) categorized as a public service agency (BLU).

"The total grant funds amounted to Rp1.5 trillion and West Papua received Rp20 billion in the medium category," Head of the DJPb West Papua Regional Office Purwadhi Adhiputranto said in Manokwari, Thursday.

He noted that the distribution of funds was not carried out through regional treasuries but several activities that had been determined by BPDLH were directly financed, such as strengthening forest management units and the climate village program.

Moreover, the BPDLH determined forest and land rehabilitation, reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) architecture, biodiversity and conservation, control of forest and land fires, and sustainable forest management as other activities that can be financed.

"The types of activities that can be financed have been determined by BPDLH. The regional government can choose which type they want to implement," Adhiputranto remarked.

He said that the DJPb had held a meeting with Acting Governor of West Papua Ali Baham Temongmere to inform him about the mechanism for distributing climate change grant funds.

The governor will form a working group team across regional apparatus organizations within the province to determine the types of activities that are adjusted to the provisions of BPDLH.

"After that, the governor appointed an intermediary institution or NGO with a medium classification to carry out the activities that had been determined by the working group team," he added.

He explained that proposals were submitted by NGOs along with the beneficiaries, in this case, the provincial governments, to BPDLH twice a year, i.e., in March and August.

Proposal registration is via the National Registry System (SRN) portal, https://srn.menlhk.go.id/, and if the submission is done outside the specified time, then the assessment will be conducted in the following period.

"If the concept of the proposed activity proposal has been approved by BPDLH, then the disbursement of funds can be realized," Adhiputranto remarked.

According to the Decree of the Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK) Number 1398 of 2023, the determination of fund allocation and beneficiaries is divided into three categories.

Provinces in the large category are Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, West Sumatra, South Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, North Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Jambi, and Riau.

Meanwhile, Papua, North Sumatra, Aceh, South Papua, Southeast Sulawesi, West Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, Southwest Papua, South Sulawesi, Highland Papua, West Sulawesi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, and Central Papua fall in the medium category.

Beneficiaries in the small category comprise East Java, Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Bangka Belitung, Lampung, Central Java, Riau Islands, West Java, Bali, Banten, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta.

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Translator: Fransiskus Salu Weking, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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