Business neglects development: Nabiel
Business neglects development: Nabiel
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jimbaran, Bali
State minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim said on
Sunday that business interests have continued to ignore
sustainable development practices, even as the world has gathered
in Bali to reaffirm its commitment to sustainable development.
However, the statement was challenged by representatives from
the business sector, saying that they had integrated social and
environmental factors into their business decisions.
Nabiel said that awareness about sustainable development was
still low within the business sector, especially in Indonesia.
Most local companies were still profit-oriented, without
regard to repaying their debts to the community under the drive
of sustainable development, according to him.
"Business sectors have yet to show real commitment for
sustainable development, such as involving local communities to
reach sustainable development goals," Nabiel said at a meeting
with representatives of the business community, senior government
officials and environmentalists.
The UN preparatory committee meeting in Bali is entering its
second week, as delegates from around the world discuss an action
plan for sustainable development.
The meeting in Bali is a lead-up to the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Sunday's meeting with Nabiel was hosted by the UN Environment
Program (UNEP) at the Bali Intercontinental Hotel in Jimbaran.
According to Nabiel, the lack of commitment is manifest in
the, as yet, unfulfilled promises made by Indonesia's leading
business tycoons for more equitable development, known as the
Jimbaran Commitment, made in Jimbaran in the mid-1990s.
The 1997 economic crisis pushed the Jimbaran Commitment into
oblivion.
Nabiel said that local companies continued to exclude local
community voices in managing their operations.
Although many companies knew the importance of sustainable
development principles, implementation fell far short.
This situation has not escaped UNEP's attention.
"There is a growing gap between the attempts of business and
industry to reduce their impact on the environment and the
worsening state of the planet," said Jacqueline Aloisi de
Larderel, UNEP Assistant Executive Director.
Larderel's statement was contained in the UNEP report, which
assessed 22 industrial businesses for their progress in
implementing sustainable development principles since the 1992
Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
According to Larderel, the gap resulted from a lack of
commitment by companies to factor social and environmental
considerations into business decisions.
Meanwhile, business representative Mike Longhurst acknowledged
that some companies lacked a commitment to sustainable
development, but others had gone far in promoting and
implementing a sustainable development drive.
Longhurst, senior vice president of leading advertising agency
McCann-Ericson, said that his company, through its funds, had
helped to promote public awareness of sustainable development.
"This includes a campaign to shift the parochial attitude that
not only the government must be responsible for sustainable
development, but also the people," said Longhurst.
Chief executive director of Environment Business Australia
Fiona Wain said that it was high time for business to integrate
sustainable development into its decision-making.
"There is a growing awareness of people about sustainable
development. In order to be competitive in 10 years' to 20 years'
time, business must include sustainable development
considerations into its decisions. Otherwise, it will not be
perceived as competitive by consumers," Wain told The Jakarta
Post after the panel discussion.