Host Indonesia yet to name delegates for Manado meeting

Adianto P. Simamora ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 04/18/2009 2:21 PM  |  National

Just three weeks ahead of the world's biggest ocean conference, to be held in North Sulawesi's capital of Manado, Indonesia has not formed a delegation to debate issues related to the degradation of marine resources and the role of the ocean in mitigating climate change.

Deputy secretary of the national organizing committee for the World Ocean Conference (WOC) Gellywynn Jusuf said Friday that the negotiating team was expected to be finalized next week.

"We are still discussing it now. But the team is almost likely to be chaired by a director general from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.

Indonesia, who initiated the world's first conference on oceans following the success of the UN climate change conference in Bali in December 2007, has invited 121 countries to take part in the Manado meeting.

Around 10,000 delegates, including ministers and scientists from the United States, Australia, Cana-da, Germany and Japan are set to attend the forum, scheduled for May 11-15.

Ministers from low-lying states, including the Solomon Islands and Samoa have confirmed their attendance.

Organizers say the forum will discuss efforts to mitigate and adapt to severe impacts of climate change related to oceans.

Data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries shows hat about 48 percent of carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels is dumped into the ocean. Carbon emissions are a leading contributor to global climate change.

The conference will promote the establishment of marine protected areas to keep marine ecosystems safe from climate change.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi has repeatedly said that the Manado Declaration will be tabled to the Copenhagen climate change meeting in Denmark at the end of this year.

The Indonesian government hopes to discuss the carbon trading system under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) at the meeting in Monado, as marine environments can store a great deal of carbon.

Activists however strongly criticize the idea of carbon trading as it would does not resolve basic problems related to marine affairs, particularly rampant illegal fishing.

They also fear that promoting carbon trading will inflict losses on Indonesia because the country has no conclusive evidence as to how much its marine ecosystems absorb carbon.

The CDM is one of several flexible mechanisms regulated under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change that allows developing nations, including Indonesia, to carry out projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the binding mechanism, developed nations provide financial incentives based on the total amount of carbon cut under CDM projects.

A ton of carbon is currently valued at between US$5 and $10.

Indonesia has around 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory.

A blueprint for a national plan of action on climate change launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during the 2007 climate change conference in Bali, states that Indonesia's marine ecosystems can absorb around 67 million tons of carbon, equal to 245 million tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), every year.

Manado conference schedule
11 - 14 May 2009: Intergovernmental Meeting
15 May 2009: Coral Triangle Initiative Summit
12 - 14 May 2009: International Ocean Science, Technology & Policy Symposium, 1500 participants discussing 31 Topics.
11 - 15 May 2009: International Ocean Science, Technology & Industry Exhibition.
13 May 2009: Global Ocean Policy Day
Source: www.woc2009.org

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