NORWAY'S FUNDS CAN HELP RI ACHIEVE ITS GAS EMISSION TARGET

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 28 (ANTARA) - The Norwegian commitment to provide Indonesia with S$1 billion for forest conservation will help accelerate the Indonesian government achieve its goals on climate change and cut its gas emissions by 26 percent by 2020.          The significant amount of the fund provided  by Norway through  Reducing Emissions under the Deforestation and Degradation Plus (REDD-Plus) scheme will change the way how forests in Indonesia are managed, Frances Seymour, director general of the Center for International Forestry Research  (CIFOR), said on Friday.          Indonesia is host to the world's third largest tropical rain forests after Brazil and Congo but forest damage in this country is the fastest in the world, reaching 1.1 million hectares a year, according to CIFOR.          The REDD-Plus is an important  scheme for Indonesia to achieve its target of reducing its green-house gas emission by 26 percent in 2020. Thus, the Norway assistance amounting to US$1 billion is instrumental to stopping forest damage in Indonesia.          The governments of Indonesia and Norway signed in Oslo on Wednesday a Letter of Intent (LoI) on forest conservation worth US$1 billion as part of their joint commitment to overcoming climate change.          The letter was signed by Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa and Norwegian Minister of Environmental and International Development Erik Solheim at the guest house of Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. The LoI is part of the  REDD-Plus scheme in which Norway will provide up to US$1 billion in grant for Indonesia to protect its forests.          Based on the LoI, the Norwegian government will provide the US$1 funds if the Indonesian government is able to fulfill the three stage requirement as contained in the LoI.         The first stage is capacity building which among others is carried out through the formation of a body with the authority to implement the program. The second stage is the implementation of a pilot project. The two governments will agree on a certain location for the pioneer project in Indonesia.          The third stage is the implementation of the scheme comprehensively on the national scale. During this stage payments will be made based on the performance. The funds will be provided if Indonesia is able to prove its success in preventing deforestation and forest degradation.          "We will implement our obligation as specified in the LoI because Indonesia has the obligation to save our forest, environment for our people and for our future," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who witnessed the signing of the document, said.           Indonesia has therefore decided to reduce its emissions by 26 percent before 2020 for the interest of the Indonesian people and the people of the world. At present, Indonesia still faces many challenges and problems in terms of funds to reduce deforestation.          "We have to reduce poverty and increase the people's living conditions, but we also have to protect our environment in facing climate change and global warming. These are twin aims, although we know we have to deal with this with or without international help," he said.          According to Jens Stoltenberg,  under the agreement Norway is committed to support Indonesia's efforts in preserving its forests at a cost of one billion dollars provided in three stages.          "The contribution will be based on reducing forest felling. Therefore, monitoring and verification are a key to make sure that progress is being made in reducing forest felling," he said when underlining the importance of control.          To assure the implementation of the REDD-Plus scheme,  the Indonesian government is sending a team to Brazil to see from close quarters the implementation of the forest conservation cooperation program by way of the REDD+ mechanism there.          Indonesia, the president said, will especially focus on the mechanism of control and measuring the effectiveness of the program, so that Norway will act the same in implementing the program both with Indonesia or Brazil.          Besides sending a team to Brazil, the Indonesian government will also set up a credible verification and monitoring body to ensure that the REDD-Plus cooperation program would be well implemented in a six month period.          "We will establish a credible monitoring body ( to assure the program will run well)," President Yudhoyono said.          According to Forestry Minster Zulkifli Hassan, the Norwegian assistance will be managed by a special institution. "We are now talking about the body and its form. We would like to propose that the body should be in the form of a multinational trust fund which will be chaired by Pak (Mr) Kuntoro Mangkusubroto  (chief of the presidential working unit for acceleration of reforms programs). The body will be charged with tasks of arranging everything and managing the funds," the minister said.          Zulkifli said that he in his capacity as the forestry minister hoped the body would be in that (trust fund) form because it would relatively be easier.          "Its members can be representatives from Indonesia, the World Bank and others, it's up to the consensus. It (the trust fund) will handle the funds from Norway," he said.      (A014/A/H-NG/A/O001)28-05-2010 11:32: