Jakarta, 18 September 2025 – Aksi untuk Ekologi dan Emansipasi Rakyat (AEER) welcomes the decision of the Norway Sovereign Wealth Fund to withdraw its investment from the French mining company Eramet, citing risks of human rights violations and environmental damage at the PT Weda Bay Nickel (WBN) project in Halmahera, Indonesia.

 

AEER’s 2024 research shows that WBN has significantly contributed to frequent flooding in Central Halmahera. The company’s concessions cover 45,065 hectares, with around 31,000 hectares of forest ecosystems at risk of destruction. The loss of these forests increases the region’s vulnerability to floods and disrupts the ecological balance that local communities depend on.

 

AEER emphasizes the importance of decisive government action to:

• Reduce WBN’s mining production,

• Impose a moratorium on forest area approvals,

• Reassess all existing forest area permits, particularly in critically affected watersheds such as the Ake Kobe watershed.

 

“The Norway Sovereign Wealth Fund’s move demonstrates that global financial institutions play a strategic role in halting projects that harm the environment and violate human rights,” said AEER. “We urge other international financial institutions to follow Norway’s lead and withdraw support from companies involved in environmental destruction and violations of local and indigenous rights in Indonesia’s nickel supply chain.”

 

AEER adds that this moment should be an opportunity for the Indonesian government to review governance in the nickel mining sector, halt destructive forest expansion, and protect local and indigenous communities.

 

“Norway’s decision sends a clear message: the world is increasingly closing the door to investments that compromise the environment and human rights. If Indonesia does not respond with serious reforms, its position in the global nickel supply chain will weaken,” AEER emphasized. ***

ABOUT US
Aksi Ekologi dan Emansipasi Rakyat (AEER) is a non-profit organization focused on environmental protection and energy transition, established in 2017. We contribute to reducing 446 million tons of CO₂ emissions in the energy sector by 2030. Our vision is to safeguard communities affected by environmentally harmful strategic production policies. Our mission is to partner with communities in organizing, campaigning, legal strategies, and critical awareness-raising to challenge policies that harm the environment and disrupt sustainable relationships between people and their natural surroundings.

 

Media Contact:
Riski Saputra
+62 822-4976-1486
riski.s@aeer.or.id