The United Kingdom Government at the British Embassy in Jakarta expects Indonesia’s Medium-Term National Development Program (RPJMN) to be “greener” in the near future, as both countries have forged cooperation on low carbon development.
“We have worked along with the Indonesian government since 2018,” Acting Head Low Carbon Policy and Finance, Low Carbon Development Group (FCDO) at the British Embassy in Jakarta Ida Suriany remarked during the U20 international seminar on “Climate Change, The Pandemic and Economic Recovery” held online here on Thursday.
Low carbon development has been among the indicators in the RPJMN 2020-2024, thereby making it the first ‘green’ RPJMN, she said.
“We are optimistic that in the RPJMN 2025-2030, until 2045, when Indonesia will commemorate its 100 years of independence, low carbon development would remain among the indicators of the national development plan,” she said.
The UK and Indonesia have initiated cooperation on the low carbon development program, with focus on transition to a green economy and net zero emissions since 2018, she noted.
This year, the cooperation has stepped up the second phase of the low carbon development program, and it is expected to be continued until 2025 by not only involving the central government but also regional administrations, Suriany remarked.
Three pilot provinces — Riau, South Sulawesi and West Papua — have been designated in the program.
“In November last year, specifically, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Joko Widodo conveyed that both countries will focus on green economy cooperation and green investment and technology that support to achieve better economic transformation,” she affirmed.
She highlighted that in the UK, environmental protection apparently aligned with the GDP achievement, so there was no trade-off between economic development and environmental protection.
“As is generally believed that if we protect the environment, the economy will become stagnant. There must be something to be sacrificed,” she stated.
Both aspects can be maintained as long as the government sticks to the program plan and policies, including its implementation since the start, she remarked.
Suriany affirmed that the UK government will continue to intensify such cooperation, especially the pilot projects in some regions that can be demonstrated for the low carbon development itself.
Source: Antara News