World gathers together for environment meeting
World gathers together for environment meeting
The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
Over 6,000 delegates from 189 countries will start their two-week meeting here on Monday to reduce or even stop overexploitation of the world's natural resources.
However, vast differences between developed and developing countries over how to achieve sustainable development may get in the way of settling a strong deal.
"The coming two weeks will be crucial to find a common platform to build a better future for mankind," said Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti during Sunday's opening ceremony of the fourth UN Preparatory Committee/Ministerial Meeting at the Bali International Convention Center in Nusa Dua.
The meeting in Bali will lead to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, from late August to September.
Talks will center on continuing the pledges made at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which sought to bring concern about the environment onto the global stage.
Sustainable development aims to allow future generations to continue to draw on the earth's wealth. Yet most countries that have ratified the Rio declaration have failed in implementing the pledges, including Indonesia.
The Johannesburg Summit hopes to haul back these concerns into the global stage and get countries to commit to action.
Previous meetings agreed to boil down the wide-ranging issues of sustainable development into five areas. They are water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity.
Bali is the last round of the presummit meetings, where delegates must finalize the action plan that will provide the basis for a political statement by world leaders in Johannesburg.
The plan, known as the chairman's statement, was drafted by Emil Salim, who chairs the meeting in Bali and was then state minister of the environment representing Indonesia at the 1992 Rio Summit.
Members of the Indonesian delegation predicted tough negotiations ahead, as the revisions had to be finalized by Friday.
"We have 100 meetings going on for the coming two weeks," Dorodjatun said.
However, talks would likely run along the differences between the interests of the developing countries and those of the developed.
A senior Indonesian delegate said developed countries refused to tie their commitments to a timetable and withheld aid unless developing countries reduced their levels of corruption.
For their part, developing countries, including Indonesia, wanted greater international responsibility, as preserving natural resources meant cutting back on much-needed revenue.
Unless there is enough assistance from developed countries, be it in financial assistance or reduction of debt, developing countries would continue with their practice of unsustainable development.
UN Secretary-General for WSSD Niti Desai, however, gave a more positive note. "The major challenge is that we must find common ground."