KAMI

Through KAMI, we provide timely support for strengthened dialogue between stakeholders in the EU, Indonesia and Malaysia on the sustainability of the palm oil value chain. The three-year project, funded by the European Union, commenced in August 2020 with a budget of EUR 4.5 million.

We support multi-stakeholder advisory committees to inform objective palm oil sustainability performance monitoring at scale, thereby providing reliable information to build trust and inform supply chain actors in making purchasing decisions.

The project encourages all stakeholders – including subnational governments, large companies, smallholders and mid-sized players – to progress towards and better demonstrate sustainability in the context of EU and consumer country regulations and demands, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and national laws and circumstances. In this way, public policy and market-related objectives can be achieved.

See the KAMI project brief for more information, available in English, Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia.

See also KAMI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Partners

• European Union (EU) - dialogue and funding partner
  • EU Delegation to Indonesia
  • EU Delegation to Malaysia
• Ministry of National Planning and Development/Bappenas, Indonesia – dialogue partner
• Ministry of Plantation and Commodities, Malaysia – dialogue partner
• European Forest Institute (EFI) – lead implementing partner

Resources

• Report: Sustainability certifications, approaches, and tools for oil palm in Indonesia and Malaysia
• Report: Support for jurisdictions in Indonesia and Malaysia to transition to sustainability
• Challenges and key interventions to transition to sustainability in Indonesia and Malaysia – report – brief

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 is funded for a three-year period, from August 2020 to August 2023. However, KAMI is currently preparing for a no-cost extension until September 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

KAMI complements other initiatives aimed at strengthening forest and land governance and promoting sustainability, through an inclusive approach covering all producers and all forests in a jurisdiction.

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.