Prime Minister Hon. James Marape, MP has commended the Government of Indonesia and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for their commitment in promoting sustainable development.
The Prime Minister made the commendation when delivering his keynote address on the first day of the Indonesia Sustainability Forum recently in Jakarta Indonesia.
He commended Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Mr Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan for hosting the ISF because everyone needs to work together to protect our village, planet earth.
Prime Minister Marape said Indonesia has made great strides in addressing climate change over the years and is making great progress, which is very commendable.
The Prime Minister was also encouraged to hear from that the International Monetary Fund recognises that the climate crisis is at the final charge of our time.
He was also encouraged to hear that Mrs. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of International Monetary Fund is just as concerned as all the countries affected by climate change that it would affect the financial stability of all affected by climate change and are making funding available to assist with protecting the last carbon sink holes in the world, the remaining rainforests.
Prime Minister Marape said therefore the ISF is timely, because we now live at a time where the threshold for the continued sustenance and survival of earth has been reached as a result of human behaviour, whether individually or collectively, which can irreversibly destroy the earth like no other time before.
He said it does not matter whether you are an ASEAN country, or Asia Pacific or European or African or American, we are all one human family.
“We all bleed one humanity, we all live only once, and we all have one common home called planet earth,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“And our children and our descendants will be able to live on this earth when we sustain it. However, if we do not, the children of our children might not have a place to live because we destroyed their natural habitat, earth.
“Hence as Leaders of Governments and Businesses, it is IMPORTANT that we raise consciousness to the task on hand and use earth’s resources wisely, prudently and in an environmentally sustainable manner for our children’s sustenance.
“We cannot be ignorant to the fact that our local activities can have a regional and global effect.
“Therefore, I want to commend President Widodo and Indonesia for not just hosting this Sustainability Forum but also setting national targets in areas like Net Zero by 2060 and your Enhanced NDC targets is commendable.
“In my country Papua New Guinea, despite our carbon negative status, we continue to subscribe to the principles and ethics of sustainable development to protect and sustain our huge tropical forest and Mangrove areas,
“My Government’s national development plan has this ethos of sustainable development deeply entrenched because it is our moral obligation to do so for our children.”
Prime Minister Marape further commended Indonesia for hosting this forum to amplify the need to focus in this area of climate change, resource management and sustainable development.
He concluded by saying Papua New Guinea looks forward to combine our forest and mangroves into a South Asia Pacific regional resource pool so our collective work would auger or complement our sustainable development focus. We must think globally and act locally.
