All countries–developing as well as developed–must contribute to efforts to address global environmental issues through collective action with the help of the G20 forum, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar has said.
“Collective action and global partnerships are essential if we want to address global environmental challenges and lead the world towards sustainable recovery,” she said at the G20 Joint Environment and Climate Ministerial Meeting (JECMM) in Nusa Dua, Badung district, Bali province, on Wednesday.
The world is currently facing various environmental issues, such as population growth, water crisis, resource scarcity, and energy security issues, as well as environmental degradation, the minister noted.
Not only that, the world is also facing climate change, which could exacerbate these crises, she said. The phenomenon can have an impact on the progress and development that has been achieved over decades, especially in developing countries.
The minister said that no country can be free from the impact of environmental issues or handle them on their own.
For this reason, it is necessary to pursue environmental multilateralism to ensure that countries of various sizes and wealth stand on an equal footing.
Therefore, the Indonesian G20 Presidency has also invited representatives from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union to attend the meeting of the environmental ministers of G20 members, Bakar said.
“The voices of all countries, north and south, developed and developing, must be heard,” she remarked.
The efforts should be conducted so that all countries can contribute to solutions to deal with global environmental issues.
Bakar reminded that great hope has been placed on the G20 forum regarding collaboration to deal with environmental issues.
“The G20 needs to be relevant for the world in general, not for its members,” the minister said.
Indonesia drew attention to three issues at the G20 Environment and Climate Ministerial Meeting: support for sustainable global recovery, improvement of environmental protection actions, and collaboration between countries for resource mobilization to accelerate environmental protection actions and address climate change.
The G20 Environment and Climate Ministerial Meeting is taking place in Nusa Dua, Bali, with 18 environment and climate ministers and deputy ministers attending in person in addition to over 200 delegates.
Bakar earlier emphasized that the G20 forum could serve as a platform for Indonesia to prove, both domestically and globally, that the country can lead actions to save the earth.
“The important aspect about this agenda is that Indonesia is leading. There is a space where we actualize Indonesia to the best,” she remarked.
She said that reaching a mutual agreement will not be easy as each country has its own values and interests.
Furthermore, the agreement resulting from the meeting will be delivered to the heads-of-state-level meeting for further discussion.
“There are aspects related to the mobilization of resources. For instance, we encourage developed countries to lead. Some propose green sailing, but it would be difficult if it is a people’s port. This continues to be negotiated,” she informed.
Source: Antara News