Pekanbaru, February 12, 2026 — The Riau Provincial Government held a Technical Meeting on Infrastructure Preparation GREEN for Riau Initiative Platform & Feedback & Grievance Redress Mechanism (FGRM) in the Parlaungan Meeting Room, 3rd Floor, Riau Provincial Development Planning Agency Office. This meeting marked a strategic step in preparing an integrated digital system to support jurisdiction-level REDD+ governance in Riau Province.
The event was attended by approximately 27 participants from various agencies and partners, including the Riau Provincial Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), the Environment and Forestry Agency, the Communication, Informatics, and Statistics Agency (Diskominfotik), FAO Indonesia, the UN-REDD Programme, and implementing partners the PILI Foundation and PETAI Foundation.
In his remarks, Abdul Madian, Head of the Economic and Natural Resources Division of the Riau Provincial Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), emphasized the importance of careful planning in developing government applications.
"The Provincial Government has many applications, but it doesn't yet have a clear infrastructure roadmap. This meeting provides important lessons to ensure the system is designed in a focused manner and truly utilized by the community," he said.
He added that platform development needs to encompass system architecture, hardware requirements, government application integration, data access arrangements, and the potential utilization of geospatial data.
The Secretary of the Riau Province Communication and Information Technology Office, Teza Darsa, M.Eng., explained that the government already has several digital services, such as the ApoKesah public complaints application and the provincial geoportal.
"The main goal of ApoKesah is to establish direct communication between the government and the public and increase transparency in handling public reports," he explained.
The Riau Geoportal itself contains data from 23 regional government agencies and will be the primary source of spatial data for cross-sectoral decision-making.
Iwan Setiawan, an IT system development expert for the GREEN for Riau Initiative, explained that the GREEN for Riau Initiative platform is designed as an integrated system to support forest and peatland management covering approximately 4.9 million hectares in Riau.
The platform has four main interconnected features. First, the Knowledge Management Center, which functions as a digital library containing information and learning about REDD+. Second, the Monitoring, Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system to monitor and report emissions reduction achievements. Third, an information page and activity publications so the public can follow program progress. Fourth, the Feedback and Grievance Redress Mechanism (FGRM) as a space for stakeholders to submit input and complaints. Through these features, the implementation of GREEN for Riau is expected to be more open, measurable, and involve multiple stakeholders.
"The approach is not to replace existing systems, but to integrate and utilize them. The Geoportal serves as the source of spatial data, while the GREEN for Riau Initiative serves as the main dashboard," explained Iwan.
The FGRM is designed as a multi-channel complaint mechanism that can be connected to ApoKesah, SP4N-Lapor, and other channels, so that reports can be verified, followed up, and monitored transparently.
In technical discussions, participants discussed hosting and infrastructure requirements, including options for government data centers and cloud services, server capacity, storage, and data backup systems. From an operational perspective, the importance of a clear division of roles between system managers, administrators, and users was emphasized, as well as the need to develop SOPs for complaint management.
Security and governance aspects were also given serious attention. Data security principles must adhere to applicable regulations, with user-level access control, system activity recording (audit trail), and adequate oversight mechanisms. For system integration, the use of standard APIs or standardized data exchange mechanisms was agreed upon, including the alignment of metadata and data formats.
This meeting resulted in a number of initial milestones, such as the initial platform design, basic system requirements, data security principles, a data integration plan, and a temporary division of roles between parties. The team will then refine the system design, establish a data storage scheme, develop operational guidelines, and schedule follow-up meetings for more detailed technical discussions.
By strengthening an integrated digital infrastructure, the GREEN for Riau Initiative Platform and FGRM are expected to form the foundation of a transparent, accountable, secure, and participatory system supporting forest protection and sustainable environmental management in Riau Province.
The GREEN for Riau Initiative platform is targeted for launch in mid-2026 and will become a transparent, participatory, and accountable system to support forest protection and sustainable environmental management in Riau Province.
At the closing ceremony, Bambang Arifatmi emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration.
"The ultimate goal of the project is to disseminate transparent and valid information about the GREEN for Riau Initiative to the public. Therefore, cooperation between all parties must continue," he said.
About the UN-REDD Programme: The UN-REDD Programme is a collaboration between the United Nations (UNEP, FAO, UNDP) to assist developing countries in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and sustainably managing forests.
About the PILI Green Network: The PILI Green Network is an Indonesian non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management through scientific approaches and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
About PETAI: The PETAI Foundation (Indonesian Center for Education and Nature Transformation) is a non-profit organization that plays a crucial role in conservation and community empowerment, particularly in the Riau region. Within the context of the GREEN for Riau Initiative, the PETAI Foundation acts as a local implementing partner, bridging technical policies with concrete actions at the grassroots level.