Indonesia - October 2025

 A 17 October Constitutional Court ruling exempted non-commercial cultivation by indigenous peoples from a law mandating state authorization for all agricultural activities in Indonesian forests. There were 154 related land conflicts documented between 2020 and 2024, which affected 103,000 families and over 1 million hectares of land. The decision marks a step forward in indigenous peoples’ efforts to acquire the rights to live in and practice subsistence agriculture in customary forests and was welcomed by indigenous rights advocates. However, the immediate impact of the law is likely to be modest, as regulation of indigenous rights and forest management is not well coordinated between various national and regional ministries, and indigenous status is not straightforward to obtain. Advocates say legislation is needed to strengthen indigenous people’s right to use customary forests and traditional lifestyles.

Sources: Jakarta Post, The Star, Monga Bay

The Constitutional Court ruled on 30 October that 30 per cent of members in all bodies of the House of Representatives, including commissions, ethics committees and more, must be women. The case was brought by women’s advocacy and democratic reform groups. The Court held that the principle of equality in representation should not be limited to electoral lists and should instead be respected throughout representative bodies. House leadership will hold talks with the leaders of all represented political parties to determine how best to comply with the ruling. Women have historically been placed on bodies overseeing issues seen as feminine, such as women’s empowerment and child protection. At the time of the ruling, only 18 of 104 leadership positions in legislative committees and bodies are held by women.

Sources: Jakarta Post, Kompas

The Indonesian government has seized and nationalized 3.7 million hectares of palm oil plantations since President Prabowo Subianto took office in October 2024, accounting for about 30 per cent of the land under cultivation. Ownership of seized land is eventually passed to Agrinas Palma Nusantara, a state-owned company with strong ties to the Indonesian military founded in January 2025. Agrinas is also managed by current and former military and security officials. While human rights and environmentalist groups have welcomed efforts to better regulate and oversee the palm oil industry, the process has also been criticized for its opacity, as the seizure is a process handled by the military and Agrinas without judicial oversight. Advocates of small-scale palm oil producers argue many plantations are classified as illegal only because registration processes are complex and difficult to understand. Public criticism from elsewhere in the industry has been limited, as businesses are wary of upsetting the government or Indonesian military.

Sources: Reuters, Asia Sentinel