Bali Commitment in limbo as talks near end
Bali Commitment in limbo as talks near end
The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
Uncertainties continued to cloud the fate of the Bali Commitment in the final hours of negotiation, as its draft plan on sustainable development remained clogged with unresolved issues, leading to either weaker commitments, or more negotiation in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Indonesian delegation reiterated on Thursday that the talks would end in Bali despite statements by senior UN officials indicating otherwise. Several non-governmental organizations urged delegates not to compromise in Bali for a weaker document.
Indonesian delegate Makarim Wibisono said that as long as talks were still going on, there should not be fear of a weak Bali Commitment.
"There haven't been any discussions at all to extend the negotiation (to Johannesburg)," Makarim said. "The mood here is that everyone wants to finalize it."
Delegates have been in Bali since May 27 for the drafting of the Bali Commitment -- an action plan that will set the tone for the global development over the next 10 years by balancing economic development with social and environmental interests.
The upcoming world summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg in August is expected to attract over one hundred heads of state who will endorse the Bali Commitment with a political declaration.
Yet the long-standing North-South division in the world reared its ugly head in Bali. Developed and developing countries disagree on whether or not the Bali Commitment should get the backing of new financial resources.
Debates on the financial commitments remained tough, said Lowell Flanders a senior United Nations official tracking progress on the negotiation.
He said talks centered on demands to link developed countries' aid commitments during the conference on financing development at Monterrey, Mexico, with programs under the Bali Commitment.
Earlier this year, developed countries pledged to set aside US$30 billion in aid by the year 2006 to help combat poverty.
But Monterrey left open the question of how and where developed countries would distribute the aid.
A number of activists raised concerns that some of the money would come in the form of foreign investments and trade incentives rather than pure grants.
They also pointed out that agricultural subsidies were six times the amount of the Monterrey aid, and was harming developing countries, yet developed countries refused to cut back the subsidies.
The Group 77 plus China, which is the developing countries' negotiation block, demanded that developed countries raise their aid levels.
They also want the funds pledged at Monterrey to help finance sustainable development programs under the Bali Commitment.
Debates now focus on whether developed countries should go beyond Monterrey or whether the Bali Commitment should merely endorse the Monterrey pledge.
An Indonesian delegate, who refused to be named, said that the country would not settle for anything less than "beyond Monterrey."
According to Flanders, as of Thursday neither side showed signs of backing down from their positions, while in other contentious issues, compromises were being made.
Among them is the debate on ocean affairs, where delegates agreed to emphasize the exploitation of marine life on conservation instead of sustainable use.
But other outstanding issues, marked by bracketed and bold paragraphs in the negotiated draft plan, continue to dominate the draft plan.
"At the rate that we are proceeding at this stage, we may not have a lot to include," Flanders said.
Given the slow progress, he said, delegates might decide to continue negotiations in Johannesburg, possibly discussing finance and trade.
"It's very possible that countries would like to keep things open until Johannesburg," he said.
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) administrator Malloch Brown echoed the NGO's calls not to be afraid to "take the brackets to Johannesburg."
NGO member Antonie Hill of Oxfam International urged delegates to resume talks in Johannesburg, saying talks on finance and trade were going nowhere.
"Everybody is waiting for the finance and trade thing, until that is resolved or unless some movements happen there, the other step is meaningless. It's not real commitment, it's not something that's implementable," he said.
The Indonesian People's Forum of local NGOs and groups representing among others women, youth and indigenous people took a harder stance, rejecting the Bali Commitment and boycotting the Johannesburg summit altogether.
They charged governments with excluding their interests in the draft plan in favor of business interests.
He said outstanding issues in the draft plan of implementation for the Bali Commitment, had gone nowhere, and were overwhelming given the tight deadline on Friday.