"Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success." - Henry Ford. 

Over the past three years, the Sustainable Landscape Program Indonesia (SLPI) supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has been on a journey, not just of implementing activities and achieving targets, but of fostering trust, dialogue, and collaboration at the landscape and national level. As SLPI implementers, we have learned that the most transformative impact often stems not from grand strategies alone, but from the patient, persistent work of bringing people together to tackle shared challenges.

This is where the Multi-Stakeholder Forums (MSFs) come in. In SLPI landscapes, these forums have become the beating heart of local progress. MSFs create the ‘safe space’ for landscape actors from diverse sectors to enable discussions on challenges and potential solutions. Through the MSF activation and capacity strengthening, the landscape partners can better provide assistance/support at the landscape level to improve policy coherence within the landscape, provide insights for alignment between national and subnational government, and ensure inclusive representation of government, private sectors, development partners, including women and people from vulnerable groups.

As each landscape has its specific condition and unique journey, it is crucial to facilitate continuous cross-learning space amongst the landscape partners to learn from one another and exchange knowledge. That is why, since 2024, UNDP Indonesia has initiated the BINTANG (Bincang & Tanggap) SLPI Webinar series as an online platform for reflection, exchange knowledge, and mutual learning among the SLPI landscape partners, relevant stakeholders and wider audience. 

The third edition of the BINTANG SLPI Webinar, held on 10 July 2025, spotlighted precisely that spirit. Titled “Success Stories in Nurturing Multi-Stakeholder Forums at the Landscapes,” the webinar highlighted the success stories from local governments and development partners in strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Forums (MSFs) to drive inclusive and sustainable palm oil production in Indonesia’s priority landscapes. The learning event brought together over 70 representatives from district governments, NGOs, and development partners under the Sustainable Landscape Program Indonesia (SLPI) project, and shared lessons learned in promoting collaboration, local governance, and jurisdictional approaches for sustainable agriculture. 

The session was opened by Ms. Paramita Mentari Kesuma, SLPI Officer, from the Nature, Climate and Energy Unit, UNDP Indonesia, who emphasized that MSFs serve as essential platforms for open dialogue, providing a safe and constructive space for stakeholders to identify shared challenges in the landscape and work collectively toward solutions. 

The agenda continued with key speakers’ presentation that showcase the success story of the MSF in each of their landscape. Mr. Musa, S.Hut, M.Si, Head of Planning, BAPPEDA Aceh Singkil, who shared insights from the Leuser-Alas-Singkil River Basin MSF; Mr. Ripto Widargo, Head of Economic Affairs and Natural Resources Department, BAPPEDA Kutai Timur, with a case from FORMIKA’s role in supporting the National Action Plan for Sustainable Palm Oil (NAP SPO); and Ms. Heni Martanila, Director of Jurisdictional Certification at Kaleka, representing the Mosaik Initiative, who emphasized the importance of development partners in institutionalizing sustainable practices.

An interactive discussion followed, where participants raised questions about the digital dashboard developed by the LASR Consortium (Swisscontact, Earthworm Foundation and Koltiva) used for MSF reporting in Aceh Singkil District, Aceh Province. Recognized as a valuable tool for enabling real-time data sharing and strengthening accountability within the MSF, the digital dashboard has shown great potential as a one-stop digital platform and repository to collect and share data on landscape work progresses, including the progress of  the implementation of Regional Action Plan for Sustainable Plam Oil (RAP SPO). However, in the Aceh Singkil context, regular reporting has so far been carried out primarily by landscape partners, while government contributions have been limited due to administrative transitions following changes in leadership. Despite this, the MSF Secretariat team has played a crucial role in supporting data entry and ensuring continuity in the reporting process. This sparked strong interest among participants because such digital solutions could be implemented in other regions to improve coordination and collaborative governance.

Furthermore, the participants also addressed issues on how to ensure long-term sustainability of the MSFs, and the financial mechanisms required to sustain the MSFs. While many forums currently depend on voluntary contributions from their members, some have found more stable footing through government backing. For example, the MSF in Aceh Singkil District benefits from institutional support, with BAPPEDA (Regional Development Planning Agency) as the secretariat. Similarly, the other FORMIKA as the MSF in the Kutai Timur District, East Kalimantan Province (assisted by the SUSTAIN Kutim Consortium consisting of GIZ, Tanah Air Lestari and Proforest), and the MSF in Seruyan District, Central Kalimantan Province (assisted by the Mosaik Initiative Consortium consisting of Kaleka, HCV Network, CNV Internationaal, SPKS, Forest Peoples Programme) both are chaired by the BAPPEDA. 

To address sustainability challenges, many MSFs have also taken steps to formalize their structure by establishing working groups through official decrees (Surat Keputusan), providing clear mandates, targets, and commitments. Additionally, the inclusion of annual thematic dialogues in the MSF work plans has helped sustain member engagement and ensure the forums remain relevant to evolving local priorities.

More than just a space for sharing experiences, the webinar reaffirmed the importance of continuous dialogue and peer learning in strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration. By bringing together practical lessons, open exchange, and stories from the field, SLPI is helping to cultivate a growing network of changemakers working toward more inclusive and sustainable landscapes, one conversation at a time. 

In 2025, UNDP will conduct two more BINTANG SLPI sessions. Stay tuned for the next update! Watch the complete recording of the session on @SLPIUNDPIndonesia Youtube channel: click here.

Author:
Vanissa Nugrah Aulia
Paramita Mentari Kesuma