The relationship between CIFOR and the host government’s Ministry of Forestry has always been important. In Indonesia, forests help to support the livelihoods of tens of millions of people and they are vitally important for the economy. Although CIFOR has an international mandate, many of its research activities have focused on a broad range of forestry issues in Indonesia.

In November 2006, a meeting in Jakarta introduced CIFOR’s new Director General, Frances Seymour, to the Minister of Forestry, M.S. Kaban, to senior Ministry staff and to representatives from donor agencies, non-governmental organisations, the media and others with a close interest in forestry research. Seymour previously occupied influential positions at the World Resources Institute, the World Wildlife Fund and the Ford Foundation. She spent many years working in Indonesia, and speaks fluent bahasa Indonesia.

The Minister and CIFOR’s new Director General both expressed their profound hope that the Ministry, its research arm, the Forestry Research and Development Agency (FORDA) and CIFOR would continue to work closely together in the future. In her speech, Seymour invited guests to consider how CIFOR might develop over the coming years, and there was a lively panel discussion on “making well informed choices about forests.”