Indonesia expects the upcoming World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado in May 11-15 to produce a joint declaration incorporating the importance of sea into climate change adaptation program.
It also expects that the country participants will agree on technology transfer and corporation, as well as information exchanges, to help each country adapt with the ongoing climate change.
A total of 121 countries have confirmed their participation in the event, which is one of the world's biggest environmental events of the year.
Over 4,900 people, including heads of states, senior government officials, experts and observers, and NGO activists will gather in the North Sulawesi capital of Manado for the conference, which will be followed by the regional environmental event Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit.
The CTI Summit will be attended by heads of six nations home to the so-called coral triangle, comprising Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Solomon Islands.
"We hope that (what is produced in) the Manado Ocean Declaration will be incorporated into talks during the UNFCCC COP 15 meeting in Copenhagen in December," Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said in a press conference after a Cabinet meeting on the WOC and CTI Summit preparation at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday.
"Surely we have to work hard in this context; to determine what's next after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. With the Manado Ocean Declaration, we hope that the ocean dimension will later on play a more significant role in (any new agreement) after the Kyoro Protocol," he added.
Freddy added that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had hoped that the country's organization of the two events would improve the current image of Indonesia as one of the biggest emmittors of greenhouse gases.
Regarding the CTI, Freddy said donor countries had granted US$70 million through the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) for the conservation of coral reefs, marine resources and ecosystem of the region.
Indonesia, he added, has received $40 million from the United States alone for the same purpose, and aims at getting the largest portion of the GEF funds for being an initiator to the CTI.
Indonesia also wants the secretariat of the CTI to be built in North Sulawesi.
The CTI Summit is expected to produce regional action plans that can be implemented in each country member.
North Sulawesi governor HS Sarundajang said his region was ready to welcome participants of the two big events, saying infrastructure and facilities such as roads, bridges, electricity, clean water, as well as land, sea and air transportation had been prepared.
He added that the number of flights to and from Manado would be also increased.
Guests will be served in 18 star-rate hotels with 1,862 rooms and 24 nonstar-rate hotels with 719 rooms.
Sarundajang also said the two big events were expected to boost economic growth of eastern Indonesia, particularly that of North Sulawesi.
