On 23 July 2026, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono met Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in Manila, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Post-Ministerial Conferences. Their discussions signalled a wider direction for bilateral relations: carrying decades of forest cooperation into renewable energy, sustainable aquaculture and environmental technology.
The meeting also connected Norway’s capital and technical expertise with President Prabowo Subianto’s priorities of strengthening energy and fertiliser self-sufficiency. For two geographically distant maritime nations, the agenda was grounded in practical challenges that affect forests, coastal communities and national development.
Forest Cooperation Provides the Foundation
Environmental cooperation has become the defining pillar of Indonesia–Norway relations. Under their renewed forest and climate partnership, Norway provides results-based contributions for independently verified reductions in emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
The first contribution under the 2022 partnership amounted to US$56 million. By 2025, Norway had pledged around US$216 million to support Indonesia’s Forestry and Other Land Use agenda. The funding is channelled through the Indonesian Environment Fund, or BPDLH, to support forest protection and restoration programmes.
Indonesia recorded a major decline in annual deforestation from approximately 1.09 million hectares in 2014–2015 to 115,500 hectares in 2019–2020. Although pressures remain, the progress demonstrated how domestic policy and international climate finance can reinforce each other.
“Indonesia is a global leader in reducing deforestation, delivering globally significant climate mitigation and biodiversity protection,” Eide said when the renewed partnership was launched. “Its success is a result of strong government policies.”
Satellite Technology Sharpens Forest Protection
In Manila, Sugiono thanked Norway for its long-standing contribution to forest conservation and global climate action. The ministers also explored possible cooperation involving satellite-imagery licences to improve forest monitoring, natural-resource management and sustainable-development planning.
More precise imagery could help Indonesian authorities detect changes in forest cover, monitor remote landscapes and direct enforcement or restoration efforts more effectively. It could also strengthen the transparent measurement required for future results-based climate payments.
Eide described Indonesia as one of the world’s natural lungs and a strategic partner in confronting climate change. This recognition places Indonesia’s forests not only within national development policy, but also at the centre of global efforts to reduce emissions and protect biodiversity.
Energy Cooperation Moves Beyond the Forest
The ministers explored broader cooperation on Indonesia’s energy transition, including investment, innovation and technological development. Unlike the established forestry partnership, this agenda remains at an exploratory stage, but it creates openings for renewable energy, industrial decarbonisation and cleaner infrastructure.
“In this regard, Indonesia continues to encourage cooperation in investment, innovation, and technology development with Norway,” Sugiono said.
Norway’s experience in energy systems and green financing could support Indonesia’s transition while respecting its need for reliable and affordable power. Indonesia, meanwhile, offers a large market, extensive renewable resources and growing demand for technologies that can support economic development with lower emissions.
Aquaculture Connects Two Ocean Nations
As major maritime countries, Indonesia and Norway also agreed to strengthen cooperation in sustainable aquaculture. Norway brings advanced experience in fish-farming technology, feed management, disease prevention and cold-chain systems, while Indonesia offers vast tropical waters and diverse coastal economies.
Smart monitoring, improved management and sustainable production could help Indonesian fish farmers increase yields while reducing environmental pressures. Localised projects could benefit coastal communities in areas such as North Sumatra, Sulawesi, Maluku and eastern Indonesia, where fisheries remain central to livelihoods and food security.
The partnership also fits Indonesia’s ambition to develop its blue economy. Moving beyond raw seafood production towards sustainable processing, traceability and higher-value exports could generate stronger returns for coastal communities.
Green Cooperation Supports Wider Diplomacy
The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1950 and marked their 75th anniversary in 2025. Their relationship now extends across climate policy, trade, human rights dialogue, ocean governance and multilateral cooperation.
In Manila, Sugiono and Eide also reaffirmed support for stronger multilateralism and reform of the United Nations system. For Indonesia, those reforms should make global institutions more representative, responsive and capable of addressing challenges affecting developing countries.
The latest meeting showed that Indonesia–Norway relations are no longer defined by forest protection alone. By connecting carbon finance with satellite monitoring, renewable energy and sustainable aquaculture, Jakarta and Oslo are developing a partnership that reaches from rainforest canopies to coastal waters—and turns environmental diplomacy into practical cooperation.
