KAMI
Reinforcing EU-Indonesia and EU-Malaysia partnerships by supporting national processes and international dialogue on sustainable palm oil.
Through KAMI, we provide support for strengthened dialogue between stakeholders in the EU, Indonesia and Malaysia on legal, deforestation-free and sustainable palm oil. The project is funded by the European Union and commenced in August 2020 with a budget of EUR 4.5 million. It runs until December 2024.
We support the exchange of objective information on palm oil production and trade in Indonesia and Malaysia and implement activities on legal, deforestation-free and sustainable palm oil production, palm oil supply chain traceability, and smallholder inclusion in global palm oil supply chains.
By strengthening the transfer of objective information, the project supports all stakeholders – including governments, companies, smallholders, and civil society organisations – to progress towards and better demonstrate legal, deforestation-free and sustainable palm oil production in the context of EU and global demands, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and national laws and circumstances.
Project governance
KAMI is guided by Strategic Country Boards (SCBs) in Malaysia and Indonesia, composed of EU services and national government ministries and agencies. The SCBs provide overall strategic direction as the decision-making bodies for the project in each country, and they also serve as platforms for technical and policy discussions. Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committees in each country provide comprehensive expertise and advice on implementation of project activities and technical topics of relevance.
See the KAMI project brief for more information, available in English, Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia.
See also KAMI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Strengthening policy dialogue on palm oil production and trade, supporting palm oil supply chain traceability and district sustainability tracking, and promoting inclusion of smallholders in supply chains for legal and deforestation-free palm oil.
Strengthening policy dialogue on palm oil production and trade, supporting palm oil supply chain traceability, and promoting inclusion of smallholders in supply chains for legal and deforestation-free palm oil.
We support policy dialogues between stakeholders in the EU, Indonesia and Malaysia on palm oil.
We provide technical assistance to enhance exchange of objective information on palm oil production and trade as a foundation for strengthened policy dialogue and increased trade in legal, deforestation-free, and sustainable palm oil.
We equip actors involved in EU, Indonesia, and Malaysia policy dialogues on palm oil with relevant information, and support engagement among national and subnational state and non-state actors.
We provide assistance in preparing for global market regulations affecting palm oil production and trade, notably the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
We support gender equality and encourage the direct participation of women in the sustainable management of natural resources.
Partners
- European Union (EU) - dialogue and funding partner
- Ministry of National Planning and Development/Bappenas, Indonesia – dialogue partner
- Ministry of Plantation and Commodities, Malaysia – dialogue partner
- European Forest Institute (EFI) – implementing partner
Resources
- EUDR relevant gender-related provisions in Indonesian and Malaysian legal frameworks for palm oil production (August 2024)
- Challenges and key interventions to transition to sustainability in Indonesia and Malaysia – Report (December 2022) – Brief (December 2022)
- Report: Support for jurisdictions in Indonesia and Malaysia to transition to sustainability (December 2022)
- Report: Sustainability certifications, approaches, and tools for oil palm in Indonesia and Malaysia (November 2022)
Newsletters
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is KAMI?
The KAMI project (Sustainability of Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil) aims to reinforce EU-Indonesia and EU-Malaysia partnerships by supporting national processes and international dialogue on the sustainable use of natural resources, with specific focus on palm oil. It supports two-way dialogue between the EU and Indonesia and the EU and Malaysia and facilitates the exchange of objective, mutually agreed information related to sustainability and traceability in the palm oil sector.
- What are the objectives/goals of KAMI?
- Strengthened basis for dialogue on palm oil sustainability
- Improved national and subnational capacity on sustainability monitoring and traceability
- Strengthened communication on sustainable palm oil
- How is KAMI funded? How long will the project run?
KAMI has received €4.5 million in funding from the European Union. This is the sole source of funding for the project.
The project runs from August 2020 to December 2024.
- What is KAMI’s governance structure?
The KAMI project is guided by Strategic Country Boards (SCBs) in Malaysia and Indonesia, which provide overall strategic direction and are responsible for the approval of annual work plans. These are the decision-making bodies for the project in each country. The SCBs are composed of five EU services and national ministries/agencies (10 in Malaysia, 5 in Indonesia), and they also serve as platforms for technical and policy discussions. In Indonesia the SCB is co-chaired by the EU and the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas and in Malaysia, co-chairing is by the EU and the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities. The SCBs meet twice per year and as of April 2023, five SCB meetings have taken place in Indonesia, and four in Malaysia.
Technical Advisory Committees (the Sustainable Jurisdictions Indicators Advisory Committee in Indonesia, and the KAMI Malaysia Advisory Committee in Malaysia) support multi-stakeholder consultation and provide technical input, expertise and advice on agreed project activities and associated areas of relevance. The Advisory Committees are co-chaired by the EU Delegation to Indonesia and representatives of the governments of Indonesia (Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas) and Malaysia (Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council/MPOCC) respectively. The Committees include representatives from government, the private sector, industry associations, smallholder groups and CSOs working on palm oil issues. These bodies involve all stakeholder groups directly in the project but are strictly advisory; all decisions are taken by the SCBs.
- Who implements KAMI?
KAMI is implemented by the European Forest Institute (EFI), an international organisation established by European states which conducts research and provides independent policy support on issues related to forests. EFI has 130 member organisations from 41 countries.
The KAMI project team is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the European Forest Institute’s Asia Regional Office. One additional team member is based in Bappenas, Jakarta, Indonesia.
- What is KAMI’s role in relation to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)?
KAMI supports technical dialogue and sharing of objective information to develop understanding of national, international and EU policies related to the establishment of sustainable and inclusive palm oil value chains.
KAMI is working to identify what information already collected in Indonesia and Malaysia, such as under the national certification schemes (Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil - ISPO/Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil - MSPO), could be used in meeting the global due diligence information requirements (including in relation to the EUDR). Further, the project is identifying where any information gaps exist, and proposing solutions for filling those gaps in consultation with relevant stakeholders. In this respect KAMI’s primary focus is on legality and traceability, taking the specific situation of smallholders into account.
- Is KAMI creating another certification scheme for palm oil?
No, KAMI is not developing a palm oil certification scheme.
As agreed by the KAMI SCBs, the project seeks to complement the national certification schemes (ISPO/MSPO) by identifying gaps in relation to global market requirements, and developing potential solutions for filling those gaps, in close consultation with the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) and ISPO as appropriate, as well as other national stakeholders.
- What is Terpercaya? How is it connected to KAMI?
The Terpercaya Initiative (2018-2020), also funded by the EU and implemented by the European Forest Institute, aimed to demonstrate and track district-level progress towards sustainability in Indonesia.
Under Terpercaya, a multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee co-chaired by the Indonesia Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas and the EU developed a set of 23 indicators to measure sustainable and inclusive commodity production at the district level. A data platform to facilitate analysis and dissemination of data on the indicators was also developed to inform policy makers and market actors.
KAMI continues work initiated by the Terpercaya Initiative in Indonesia to develop a jurisdictional approach to demonstrating district-level sustainability in commodity production, focusing on palm oil.
- Since Terpercaya has ended, who has ownership of the indicators and data platform?
The Government of Indonesia has adopted the Terpercaya indicators and data platform into a national jurisdictional sustainability initiative called the “Sustainable Jurisdictional Approach”. The Terpercaya indicators have been re-named as the “Sustainable Jurisdictions Indicators”, or SJI for short and a decree to support their implementation is being drafted by the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas.
The Indonesian government aims to use the Sustainable Jurisdictional Approach and Sustainable Jurisdictions Indicators to demonstrate and track nationally defined district sustainability, inform development planning and district support policies, and attract green investment (learn more).
KAMI supports refinement of the SJI indicators and further development of the data platform.
- Where can I find publications produced by the projects?
All publications which have been cleared by the relevant SCBs for public dissemination can be found on the KAMI website. This includes:
- Reports
- Briefs
- Guidelines
- Working papers
- Brochures/flyers
- Minutes of all Advisory Committee meetings (Indonesia and Malaysia)
- Minutes of the SJI Working Group in Indonesia
Contact the KAMI project team at kami@efi.int with questions or to learn more about our activities.
Title image: © Nanang Sujana/CIFOR Outputs image: © Ricky Martin/CIFOR
This web page has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
