Representatives from more than 130 countries on Friday issued a sweeping declaration highlighting the urgency of combating climate change and opening opportunities for development that minimizes carbon emissions.
The Nusa Dua Declaration was issued on the last day of the 11th Special Session of the United Nations Environment Program Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum.
The proclamation covers three other key issues: green economies, biodiversity and how to improve international environmental management, which has been considered too complicated and inefficient.
“This change starts with recognition that the way we are managing the environmental dimension of sustainable development is currently too complex and fragmented. Change is needed here and the ministers signaled their determination to realize this through a political process,” said Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program. He added that the meeting was successful in integrating three global pacts surrounding the use of chemicals — the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions. Steiner said that effort stood as a model of how to streamline joint activities and management.
The declaration is the first made by participating ministries of environment since the council first convened in Malmo, Sweden, in 2000. The document is expected to be submitted to the UN General Assembly this year.
Gusti Muhammad Hatta, state minister for the environment, said it was critical for Indonesia to be able to ensure ocean health and other marine issues are taken into account in the council’s decisions.
He said that during the conference, the council addressed the need for long term conservation and sustainable management, reducing pollution and more research on oceans and coastal areas.
“I am very satisfied that our ideas for the ocean decisions have been appreciated by other countries,” he said, adding that language about marine issues were taken from the Manado Ocean Declaration, which was adopted in May.
Angela Cropper, deputy executive director of UNEP, said oceans were not specifically mentioned in the Nusa Dua declaration, but, it was one of the decisions taken by the Council.
“It is a very substantive decision which will draw attention to what is happening to the oceans whether oceans are sink or release greenhouse gas,” said Angela.
On Thursday, Steiner and Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Fadel Muhammad launched a Blue Carbon report on the role of oceans in carbon absorption. The report calls threatened ocean plants such as mangroves, seagrass and marsh grasses “among the most intense” absorbers of carbon on the planet.
