Staff and management felt honoured and privileged by the Minister's decision to deliver a speech at CIFOR less than a month after taking over the national forestry portfolio.

Said CIFOR Director General, David Kaimowitz, "to receive a visit by Pak Kaban so early in his tenure as Minister is a compliment everyone at CIFOR should feel proud of. And one that will strengthen our links with Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry."

Accompanied by his Ministry's top officials, Kaban used the opportunity to visit CIFOR while attending a project steering committee meeting between CIFOR and the Ministry relating to the Malinau Research Forest and the International Tropical Timber Organization.

Pak Kaban toured CIFOR's facilities, met with staff, and delivered a speech in which he presented his views and concerns about Indonesia's forestry sector and highlighted the important relationship between CIFOR and the Ministry.

In his speech the Minister immediately acknowledged the challenges he faces in taking over the forestry portfolio. "This is still within the first month of my term. While I am truly grateful to the Almighty God for the great blessing He has given to me so that I am now the Minister of Forestry, I begin to realize that the blessing is an enormous task and obligation indeed."

"Unlike some decades ago, when forestry was a major foreign-exchange earner and a key contributor to the national economic growth, now what we have are problems. This is mainly the end result of extensive timber extraction for more than three decades, focusing on attaining short-term financial benefit and ignoring the multi-function nature of forest resources."

Pak Kaban outlined the five key areas his Ministry will focus on, including combating illegal logging in a more coordinated manner, revitalizing the forestry industry through restructuring the forestry sector, improving forest resource rehabilitation and conservation, reaffirming forest land area-use, and empowering forest communities through local economic development.

The Minister also confirmed the important global and national role CIFOR plays in forest research. "Having a credible international research institution such as CIFOR in Indonesia is definitely a real advantage. I am really looking forward to optimizing the existence of CIFOR in Indonesia by further enhancing the existing cooperation between the Ministry of Forestry and CIFOR."

According to Kaimowitz, the Minister's speech addressed a range of significant issues and underscored the importance of the relationship between CIFOR, the Ministry and forest stakeholders generally.

"Perhaps the most important take-home message from the speech was Pak Kaban's hope for greater communication and coordination between CIFOR and the Ministry,' Kaimowitz said.

Also attending the meeting was Marthin Billa, elected Head of the Malinau District Government. CIFOR has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Malinau Government that allows CIFOR to undertake research on more than 300,000 hectares of forest in east Kalimantan (Borneo).

Kaimowitz said Billa expressed his satisfaction with CIFOR's work in Malinau and said he was pleased with the relationship between CIFOR and his government. CIFOR has worked closely with the Malinau Government and local forest stakeholders in a diverse range of forest activities, including institutional strengthening and capacity building workshops. Donors supporting CIFOR's research in Malinau include the Ministry of Forestry, International Tropical Timber Organization, the UK and German Governments, the McArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the French Research Institute for Cooperative Development.