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Second Preparatory Committee of UNCSD 2012
New York, 7 -8 March 2011
Intervention by Delegation of Indonesia
Session 1 on Objective of the conference:
Securing renewed political commitment for Sustainable Development,
Assessing the progress to date and the remaining
Gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable
development and addressing new and emerging challenges
Mr. Co- Chairs,
We align with the statement of the Group of 77 and China.
Mr. Co-Chairs,
Sustainable development is one of the defining issues of the 21st century. We will all be
judged by how we measure up to it; by whether we are part of the problem by refusing
to act, or part of the solution by taking action to become more sustainable. By living up
to the concept of sustainable development, we can eliminate the very imbalances that
have plagued populations all over the world.
The Conference, which comes at an important time, offers a distinct opportunity to
revive our hopes to collaborate and cooperate in true partnership to eliminate
imbalances, and realize sustainable economies, societies and the environment.
Mr. Co-Chairs
Indonesia’s economic growth for many decades has been sustained mostly by its
natural richness. Agriculture, forestry, mining and fisheries, among others, have
contributed to approximately 25 percent of our GDP. Our commitment is to continue
implementing policies and actions on sustainable management of agriculture, forestry,
energy, food security and water resources.
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However, unpredictable weather patterns, biodiversity loss, land degradation, drought,
flood, access to sustainable energy as well as pockets of poverty are the greatest
challenges that the government of Indonesia is facing. Situated in the Pacific ring of fire,
our country of more than 17.000 islands is very prone to natural disasters, which is a
constant threat to our achievement on development and the MDGs. However,
Indonesia’s challenge is not unique. Most developing countries have experienced the
same challenges.
Mr. Co-Chairs,
The difficulty in addressing such challenges has not been helped with fragmented and
uncoordinated implementation of global agreements on sustainable development.
Moreover, reaching consensus on some agreements has been elusive since many parties
still prioritize economic profits over people.
We need to unlock the bottleneck in the implementation of sustainable development.
First, the determining element will be leadership from everyone among us with the
capacity to make decisions, set agendas and live by example. While we all have a
shared responsibility, our respective capabilities differentiate the extent of our efforts.
Sustainable development is built on investment in knowledge, skills, and technology
that the poor are short of. Thus, it is our view that developed countries, must take the
lead, by among others guaranteeing the provision of technology, capacity building and
financial resources to developing countries. In this context, the seriousness of
Developed partners to bind for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol
will show political gesture of their leadership on the Sustainable Development.
Developing countries, in our view, should also be taking an active role in developing
strategies toward a pro environment development path while ensuring their sustainable
development based on the principles of common but differentiated responsibility and
respective capabilities.
Second, it is vital to sustain the political momentum on sustainable development so that
it serves as a uniting principle, and the cornerstone in the creation of stronger, healthier,
and more just societies throughout the world. We need to implement existing action
plans and strategies. We should also emphasize on education and raising public
awareness from now and after the Conference.
Third, in the face of new and emerging challenges, clear linkages on the relationship
between each pillar should be made to help direct resources more effectively; identify
the appropriate technologies; and develop effective capacity building programs. Thus
far, reporting on the goals and targets for sustainable development has been
fragmented, with no clear link between them. This has made it more difficult to direct
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limited and needed resources at national and international level. Methodologies to
measure progress should continue to be done to better maximizing the potential
positive impacts. Clearly, only by having such information will it be possible to act or
react effectively to challenges that arise.
Finally Mr. Co–chairs, sustainable development would be difficult to achieve without
reaching a development oriented outcome of the Doha Round; and provision of
predictable funding that would enable developing countries to implement pro-people,
pro-poor, and pro-environment growth.
Thank you.
