Delegates miss Nusa Dua beaches
Delegates miss Nusa Dua beaches
The preparatory committee meetings for the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Bali have kept some people so busy
that they seem unaware that they have a beautiful stretch of
beach behind their conference rooms.
The organizers are probably the busiest people at this event,
and Hening Parlan of the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi)
is no exception.
She has been so busy it took two days before she realized that
she was staying very close to the beach.
"I am so busy that I was not aware that I am staying very
close to Nusa Dua beach," said Hening at the forum's secretariat
at the Amphitheater, Nusa Dua. The beach is just a few meters
behind the Amphitheater.
'Water crisis' at UN conference
It sounds ironic. All the people are talking about the global
water crisis in the PrepCom, but they themselves are facing a
fresh water crisis.
The price of fresh bottled water at the conference venue, the
Bali International Convention Center, is so expensive so that
only a few people dare to buy on site, and kiosks selling cheaper
bottled water are located far from the scene.
"It's ridiculous. One bottle of Aqua costs US$1.50," a
journalist said on Monday.
Another journalist suggested that people bring water from
outside to prevent a drain on their pocket.
Delegates nowhere to hide
NGOs are grateful for Bali's isolated location for the
preparatory committee (PrepCom) IV meeting on sustainable
development.
Cochair of the NGO energy and climate caucus, Deling Wang,
commented on Sunday that the Nusa Dua area makes it easier for
NGOs to lobby government delegations.
"The location of the prepcom in Bali is very advantageous for
us, because in a sense we are all stuck in one place, the Nusa
Dua area, and delegates cannot escape us," she said laughing.
Deling said that in the previous PrepComs in New York,
delegates were difficult to approach because they could easily
escape NGOs.
Too cold in Kuta
In spite of the scorching sun of Bali, international non-
governmental organization (NGO) representatives suffered from
chills and dehydration at the strategic meetings organized by the
Indonesian People's Forum (IPF) at Sahid Hotel in Kuta on Sunday.
The cold was so intense that the representatives opted to turn
off the hotel's excellent air conditioning facilities rather than
brace the freezing cold.
Unfortunately the controls were nowhere to be found, and the
doors of the meeting room had to be flung open during the whole
session to let out the cold air.