Asian Development Bank Withdraws from Controversial Trans-Kalimantan Road Project

Confronted by sustained criticism from Dayak communities and the international human rights organisation Forest Peoples Programme (FPP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced its withdrawal from the Indonesian government’s proposed Trans-Kalimantan Roads Project - a major infrastructure initiative planned for the heart of Borneo.

The project would have carved a road corridor through one of the largest remaining intact forest areas in Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan), home to numerous  Dayak indigenous peoples. Many of these communities’ rights to their ancestral lands and forests remain unrecognised and unsecured by the state

“We’ve been calling for ‘no road without rights,’” said a spokesperson from the Dayak Lundayeh of Pa'Umung, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. “It’s not that we oppose access to transportation, but development must come with respect. Our forests should not be opened without first securing our land rights and protecting our livelihoods.”

Since 2021, Dayak representatives and civil society organisations have repeatedly appealed to ADB to uphold its safeguard standards on Indigenous Peoples (ESS7). Despite these efforts, the project’s design remained fundamentally unchanged—threatening to fragment forest ecosystems and undermine Dayak indigenous peoples land security. Rather than undertake a full redesign to avoid these impacts, ADB has now confirmed its decision to withdraw financial support for the project.