International leaders awarded for environmental conservation

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 04/24/2006 10:43 AM  |  Opinion

Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Singapore

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) honored seven international leaders as part of celebrations marking Earth Day on April 22.

Among those who received a ""Champion of Earth"" award -- a non-monetary prize given to ""green"" leaders -- were the former president of the now defunct Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and former Iranian vice president Massoumeh Ebtakar

The awards were handed out at a Gala dinner here on Friday evening. Singaporean President S.R. Nathan was also in attendance, and senior Singaporean diplomat Prof. Tommy Koh was among those honored.

While there were no Indonesian recipients, a Singaporean pulp and paper company operating in Indonesia was a principal sponsor of the awards.

Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL), which operates in Riau and is one of the world's largest paper and pulp producers were pleased to be part of the event.

""We are often blamed as an environmental destroyer, but look, even the UNEP recognizes our achievement on environment,"" said one of its top executives, on the sidelines of the ceremony.

Egyptian Mohamed El-Ashry, former head of the Global Environment Facility discussed illegal logging in Indonesia and the complicity of other nations in aiding its existence. Quoting a recent report from the Financial Times, Egyptian Mohamed El-Ashry asked, ""Is it true that the products of Indonesian illegal logging are also exported to Singapore?""

He did not receive a satisfactory answer. Illegal timber is not only sold on the black market. According to international media reports even countries who openly condemn the destruction of forests in Indonesia, including countries in the European Union, are among the major destinations of the products of illegal logging. The mechanics of international trade mean that such imports can be categorized as acceptable.

During the awards ceremony, the UNEP presented a short documentary film on the impact of environmental damage on the globe, including climate change. One scene illustrated the level pollution present in Jakarta.

""We have big environment problems. But we are also making some progress,"" said Emil Salim, Indonesia's first Environment Minister.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.