REDD+ in Indonesia

Because Nicole made a connection with Mr. Heru Prasetyo of Indonesia during the first week of COP 19,  the SES delegation was invited to a high level dinner on Thursday night, celebrating the successes of REDD+ in Indonesia and discussing the transition of the program from preparedness to implementation.

The UN REDD+ Program is the United Nations Collaborative Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries. The high level dinner, sponsored by the Indonesian government and highlighting a new national implementation program for REDD+ in the country, was an amazing opportunity for us and we were very appreciative of the invitation. It was the first and only opportunity the seven SES student delegates had to attend a COP related program together, so we were all very excited to be able to have a chance to be with each other at such a high-level event. 

The event included inspiring and informative speeches from Mr. Donald Ramotar the President of Guyana,  Ms. Tine Sundtoft, Norwegian Minister of Climate and the Environment,  Mr. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, and Mr. Heru Prasetyo, Deputy Director of the Indonesian President's Delivery Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight, among others.  They spoke on behalf of their country or organization about their involvement with REDD+ in Indonesia and offered congratulations for what had been accomplished.

One presenter who has stood out during conference sessions for me has been Mr. Achim Steiner. His message at the dinner was one that connected with all of us.  He spoke about the importance of looking at forest resources in a new way. Looking at a forest differently causes a shift in perception, perhaps allowing people to see forests, "not as an alternative to development, but perhaps an alternate development." There are difficult decisons that need to be made concerning forests and their role in climate change action, and he commended people with the courage to lead in facing these difficult issues. Steiner spoke about the value of leadership, and his appreciation for the people willing to lead the REDD+ initiative in Indonesia.

He reminded the audience that having a vision for something before it is tangible is hard and that those who don't always look like they're leading, whether that be in hallway discussions at the conference or working for five years behind the scenes to create the REDD+ program now being celebrated, are sometimes really the unspoken leaders and believers.

Norway was a focal point of the dinner because of their partnership with Indonesia and major financial contribution of one billion dollars to the the Indonesian REDD+ effort. Norway was commended for their country's contribution to the global community in addressing climate change. More countries should step up like Norway, and make tangible efforts to aid the international community in the managment of climate change impacts. There should be a shift  toward funding climate change mitigation and adaptation from all nations with the means to do so. It will take a lot of work, but it in the long term is better than the alternative.