Policy and Advocacy

The Policy and Advocacy Program is one of WARSI’s main pillars in advancing community-based forest management and sustainable natural resource development. The program was born from the awareness that public policy plays a major role in shaping the direction of forest management and the well-being of indigenous and local communities. For this reason, WARSI is committed to ensuring that community voices are heard, their interests are represented, and the policies produced truly favor the sustainability of forest ecosystems.

Through this program, WARSI focuses not only on policy advocacy at the national level but also works actively at the local level, accompanying local governments and communities in formulating fairer and more transparent forest governance. Advocacy is carried out with an evidence-based approach, in which research and policy analysis serve as the foundation for producing recommendations that are strong, relevant, and accountable.

In addition, the program serves as a service center for various project and training needs, both internal and external. Through training, WARSI strengthens the capacity of stakeholders so that they better understand policy issues, are able to carry out advocacy, and contribute to natural resource management. From every process of community assistance, WARSI generates field-based lessons that are then developed into shared knowledge. This knowledge not only enriches advocacy strategies but also serves as an important reference for governments, academics, NGOs, and indigenous and local communities.

With all these steps, WARSI’s Policy and Advocacy Program becomes a driving force in realizing forest governance that is just, transparent, and sustainable. More than simply influencing policy, the program seeks to build a collaborative ecosystem among communities, governments, and development partners, so that forest conservation is not only an environmental agenda but also a social, economic, and cultural agenda woven into community life.