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| The formal signing of the Danish contribution to the Indonesia Oceans (KalderaNews/Ist) |
JAKARTA, KalderaNews.com – The partnership between Indonesia and Denmark is further strengthened with the visit of the Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, to Indonesia 27-29 November, 2017. The visit emphasizes all elements in the partnership.
During the visit to the Jakarta’s Maritime Museum (Museum Bahari) in Jakarta, the Prime Minister along with the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, had the opportunity to witness the formal signing of the Danish contribution to the Indonesia Oceans, Marine Debris and Coastal Resources Multi-Donor Trust Fund (OMC-MDTF). The DKK 5.5 million (IDR 11,8 billion) contribution was signed between the World Bank Country Director, Rodrigo Chaves, as trust fund trustee, and the Danish Ambassador to Indonesia, Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen. The contribution is aligned with Denmark’s ongoing support for waste management and the circular economy in Indonesia.
The Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated, “Like Indonesia, Denmark has a long maritime history. We therefore have great interest in supporting Indonesia’s Oceans Agenda. We are proud to be the first country to pledge support to the OMC-MDTF as we consider this as a timely initiative that will reduce marine debris and improve the management of Indonesia’s oceans. Since most of the debris originates from improperly disposed solid waste in the fast-growing coastal cities, there is a daunting challenge ahead in improved solid waste management. Denmark already cooperates with Indonesia on improved urban waste management, including waste-to-energy, and will continue to do so in the future.”
The OMC-MDTF will lay the foundation for safeguarding Indonesia’s oceans. It will leverage existing initiatives and investments to improve solid waste management in coastal cities in order to reduce plastic and other waste in the ocean. Indonesia’s oceans are a significant source of food and nutrition, and livelihoods, and constitute an important contribution to the national economy. Marine debris and the continuing degradation of coastal areas harm seafood safety and tourism, and threaten Indonesia’s resilience to coastal flooding.
In response, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan to KalderaNews stated, “Attaining sustainable growth in our ocean economy and tackling issues relating to oceans and marine debris are high on our agenda. The government have committed to allocate USD 1 billion in the course of 5 years and gather more resources for addressing ocean problems and the related issues, including the improvement of solid waste management capacity of coastal cities around the country. Therefore, we greatly appreciate the support of the international community, as clearly demonstrated by Denmark today, as it will further our National Oceans Agenda and program outcomes.”
The signing, I witnessed today, demonstrates strong relation and cooperation between Indonesia, Denmark, and the World Bank in addressing marine issues. We worked together in conducting hotspot rapid assessment of plastic leakage into the ocean in 18 big, medium and small cities around the country and also conducted marine plastic debris summit, an event that provided solid foundation for development of Indonesia National Action Plan for Marine Plastic Debris. I sincerely hope that our cooperation with international partners will positively contribute to Indonesian Ocean Agenda and International Community action to reverse the poor state of the world oceans.
World Bank Country Director Rodrigo A. Chaves said “Indonesia’s oceans and coastal areas play a critical role in the nation’s economy and culture, serving as the source of revenues and livelihoods for millions of Indonesians involved in fisheries and tourism, and protecting shorelines from storms and floods. However, these resources are at risk due to a variety of threats including the rapidly growing problem of marine debris. Currently, out of the 1.3 tons of ocean waste in Indonesia, 80% is from improperly disposed municipal waste . The World Bank is pleased to join Denmark to support Indonesia’s national Oceans Agenda through technical assistance and capacity building, multi-sector coordination and piloting of innovative responses to key challenges. The OMC-MDTF will build synergies with other on-going support from the World Bank including to improve municipal solid waste management in cities across Indonesia.”
The OMC-MDTF will provide strategic support to the overall Ocean’s Agenda under three key pillars. First, support to improve the overall planning, coordination, policies and financing of the government’s broad oceans strategy. Second, reducing marine debris through support for the National Action Plan on marine debris. Third, enhancing resilience of coastal and marine resources, with an initial priority focus on mangroves. In addition to Denmark, the Government of Norway is also providing funding for the OMC-MDTF. (JS)
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