Pekanbaru, February 13, 2026 — The Riau Provincial Government held a Technical Meeting on Institutional & Data Governance for the GREEN for Riau Initiative in the Parlaungan Meeting Room, 3rd Floor, Riau Provincial Development Planning Agency (Bappeda). This one-day technical meeting served as a strategic step to agree on the institutional framework and data governance to ensure the GREEN FOR RIAU INITIATIVE platform runs effectively, securely, and sustainably.
The event was attended by representatives from regional government agencies, vertical agencies, international development partners, as well as the GREEN for Riau Initiative technical team and experts. The agenda included discussions on the context of the GREEN for Riau Initiative, the institutional framework, data governance, the complaint mechanism (FGRM), and the consolidation of recommendations.
Bambang Arifatmi, Country Coordinator of UNEP UN-REDD Programme Indonesia, stated that the GREEN for Riau initiative, launched in 2025, has now reached approximately 80% completion of its regional strategy document. However, successful implementation depends heavily on the availability of cross-sectoral data.
"We are developing an integrated database management system so that all parties can access information within their authority and that meets international safeguard standards," said Bambang.
Meanwhile, Acting Secretary of the Riau Provincial Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Andi Ista Tutih, S.T., M.Eng., emphasized that the GREEN for Riau program aligns with the Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD) and the national target of zero emissions.
"GREEN for Riau serves as a means for collaboration between the government and the private sector to optimally achieve development and environmental targets," he explained.
Integrated Data Platform and One Regional Data
Iwan Setiawan, Information Technology and Information (IT) Expert for the GREEN for Riau Initiative, explained the development of a web-based platform that will serve as a regional data node for Riau's climate action. The platform will integrate spatial, statistical, and document data and connect to the national REDD+ system.
"The main readiness is not only field action, but the ability to provide accurate, organized, and verifiable data," said Iwan.
He added that the system will implement a classification of public, internal, and restricted data access, as well as the principle of interoperability across agencies.
Institutional Strengthening and Data Systems
Miranty Magetsari, an expert for the Institutional Strengthening GREEN for Riau Initiative, emphasized that REDD+ success is determined not only by field activities, but also by the orderliness of the data and the organization managing it.
"In governance, there are always two elements: people and data. At this stage, attention is focused on systematically organizing data," she said.
She explained that verifiers will trace back to input data to ensure the validity of emission calculations, so all regional government agencies (OPDs) need to understand the types of data requested from the outset. A digital system and One Data approach were developed to prevent documents from being scattered and to ensure they remain accessible even if officials change.
Miranty also emphasized the importance of agreeing on data standards, metadata, and the division of roles between data producers and data guardians for effective cross-agency integration.
Participant Discussion Overview
During the discussion session, participants highlighted the importance of focusing on activities that truly impact emission reductions, such as forest fire control and land cover improvement, while ensuring all activities are well-documented. Speakers emphasized that the GREEN for Riau Initiative's performance-based approach requires collecting evidence of past activities before setting realistic emission reduction targets.
The expert team also explained that this program uses a vintage carbon approach, which calculates carbon credits from activities carried out in previous periods. The baseline period used is 2016–2021, while the emission reduction performance period being assessed is 2022–2026. Therefore, all evidence of activities within this timeframe needs to be collected and verified before emission values are determined.
Several participants emphasized the need for a shared understanding of carbon assessment indicators and the economic benefits to be gained by the region, while the technical team explained that carbon values are determined not only by the magnitude of emission reductions, but also by aspects of governance, transparency, and social protection.
Data Governance and Carbon Project Integrity
Muis Fajar, Expert on Nesting Development & REDD+ Governance at GREEN for Riau Initiative*, emphasized that performance-based carbon projects assess past activities, making documentation crucial.
"The more documented emission reduction activities, the greater the carbon credit value that can be earned," he explained.
He added that data collection focused on the 2016–2021 baseline period and the 2022–2026 performance period, including biophysical, socio-economic data, and documentation of field activities.
Grievance Redress Mechanism and Public Transparency
In the FGRM session, Anwar Rosyadi, Expert on the Grievance Redress Mechanism at GREEN for Riau Initiative, explained that the grievance system not only resolves cases but also improves governance.
"The FGRM covers complaints, suggestions, and appreciation, and is required to provide status updates to reporters to maintain accountability," he said.
Participants also agreed on the importance of protecting the identity of reporters and establishing a single point for case recording to prevent duplication of information.
Results and Follow-up
Through the consolidation session, participants agreed on the direction of institutional strengthening and data governance for the GREEN for Riau Initiative as the basis for the platform's future operations. This meeting resulted in an understanding of the platform's management structure, the division of roles between agencies, and data management principles, including access classification and publication mechanisms. Furthermore, an inventory of required data types, identification of data producers, and the development of guidelines and SOPs for data management and FGRM were conducted. All of these results will be followed up through the development of technical documents, integration with national systems, and the establishment of a joint work plan to ensure the sustainability of the GREEN for Riau Initiative platform.
Through institutional strengthening and structured data governance, the Riau Provincial Government aims for the GREEN for Riau Initiative to become the primary foundation for performance-based environmental management and open up opportunities for international climate financing.
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 Nature Education and 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.