Public told to help protect environment<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government, private businesses and representatives of the
\npeople signed on Thursday a memorandum to express their joint
\ncommitment to establishing the environmental governance that may
\ngive wider access for the public to take part in preserving the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
Initiated by the Access Initiative (AI), the joint commitment
\nwas made with regards to the people who have suffered the most
\nfrom environment deterioration where industries and businesses
\nfailed to invite public participation in assessing their
\nactivities' impacts to the environment.<\/p>\n
Frances Seymour, director for institutions and governance
\nprogram at the World Resources Institute, revealed to a media
\nbriefing after the signing ceremony here on Thursday that AI
\nfound out that most of the emerging economy did not have a
\nstandard procedure or policies that enable the people to monitor
\nthe industries and the environment.<\/p>\n
"How could the people are expected to safeguard their backyard
\nif the government fail to disseminate to the public the
\ninformation on the industry and how it may affect the people and
\nthe environment?," she remarked.<\/p>\n
The director general for forest protection at the Ministry of
\nForestry, Wiyono, and Central Java's Kebumen Regent Rustriningsih
\nrepresented the government in the declaration, while
\nbusinesswoman Dewi Motik represented the Indonesian Chamber of
\nCommerce (Ikadin). Representing the people were Tunggul Sirait, a
\nmember of the House of Representatives' caucus for environment
\nand activist Ahmad Safrudin from the Indonesian Forum for the
\nEnvironment (Walhi).<\/p>\n
The signing is only the first step in efforts to win a global
\ncommitment from the 4th Global Ministerial-Level Preparatory
\nCommittee Meeting for World Summit on Sustainable Development
\nheld in Bali this week that will feature government officials,
\nactivists, and observers from 189 countries.<\/p>\n
The World Summit will be held in Johannesburg next September.<\/p>\n
AI is an international coalition of observers and
\nenvironmental experts and activists with their prime concerns on
\nempowering the civil society to ensure responsive and acceptable
\nenvironmental policies by pushing the creation of three key
\naccess to information, participation and justice.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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