Lake Toba summit to focus on sustainable development
Lake Toba summit to focus on sustainable development
Apriadi Gunawan
The Jakarta Post/Medan
The Lake Toba summit, scheduled to officially begin on Thursday,
will be an important forum for Indonesia to learn how to promote
sustainable development following the Dec. 26 earthquake and
subsequent tidal waves that devastated Aceh and North Sumatra.
North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin said here on Wednesday
that delegates of regional governments from developed countries
would share their experience and expertise with participants from
the disaster-hit provinces on how to rehabilitate and reconstruct
their affected areas.
"The summit is an important forum for local administrations in
Aceh to exchange information on how to spend huge funds from
donor countries to rebuild the affected areas, resettle their
survivors and promote an environmentally friendly development
program," he said after opening a cultural event held in line
with the summit.
The governor said almost all 30 provincial governments and
more than 430 regental and municipal administrations would be
represented at the summit, where they were expected to gain more
information on sustainable development.
"All delegates, especially from developed countries, have been
asked to share with Indonesian participants their experience and
expertise on how to promote sustainable development," he said.
Aside from that, Rizal added, Indonesia would seek the
developed countries' commitment to promote sustainable
development in tourist resorts around Lake Toba.
"North Sumatra has great potential to develop ecotourism in
tourist resorts around Lake Toba. But we cannot do it due to a
lack of ideas, human resources and funds. We want developed
countries to lend a hand to help preserve the ecosystem and
cultural heritages in the province," he said.
Summit steering committee chairman Nico Barito said that after
identifying all problems and hindrances in carrying out
sustainable development, all the participants would be grouped
into three discussion panels on the second day before they
present their recommendations and action plans on the concluding
day.
"On the second day, three panel discussions will be held
simultaneously. The government panel, to be held in Parapat -- a
tourist resort near Lake Toba -- will discuss networking among
regional governments within the UN system on disaster prevention
and risk management. It will also discuss how to create quality
human resources to empower local administrations and regional
legislatures," Nico said.
A special forum featuring businesspeople from member countries
will be held in the North Sumatra capital, Medan, to discuss how
to develop business and intensify economic activities without
damaging the environment.
"Indonesian businesspeople should learn from developed
countries how to promote sustainable business," said Nico.
He said experts from the United Nations and developed
countries would present their papers on how to promote
sustainable development in developing countries, especially in
tsunami-affected South Asia.
The speakers include UN Habitat chairwoman Anna Tibaijuka, UN
Environmental Program (UNEP) executive director Klaus Toepler and
UN Institute Training and Research (UNITAR) executive director
Marcel Boisard.
Meanwhile, Nurlisa Ginting, secretary of the conference's
organizing committee, said that so far two provinces in Germany
and another in Spain had bolstered cooperation with fishery and
tourism businesses in North Sumatra.