Indonesia is an archipelago state vulnerable to become a chemical disposal site and other dangerous materials that frequently happened recently. Around 2.000 locations in Indonesia could become potential entrance gate for the traffic of dangerous chemical waste. This, as been said by the Minister of Environment, Prof. Dr. Gusti Muhammad Hatta, M.S., on Monday (February 22) as he was the speaker on an extraordinary meeting of Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention Signing in Nusa Dua.

Hatta presenting that there is cooperation between countries regarding environmental problems especially with chemical waste, especially in concern with that waste illegal trafficking of dangerous and deadly chemical. For the last 20 years Indonesia has actively strive for global initiative toward environment, one example can be seen from the establishment of Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs).

“Indonesia is part of the countries whom agreed with several important environment convention such as UNFCCC, Biodiversity Convention, Basel and Stockholm Convention,” he explained.

Hatta also added that as an agrarian country, Indonesia is a chemical emission donator that could be categorized as persistent organic pollution. “We believed that every international cooperation and agreement resulted will become an effort to deal with various problem concerning our environmental life,” said Hatta.
In relation with this international cooperation, Hatta said that some high level decision had been decided. For instance is Bali Strategic Plan Capacity Building and Technology Transfer, Bali Road Map on Climate Change and Bali Declaration on Waste Management and Human Health. Even for the World Health Organization as WHO Resolution has adopted the last one mentioned above.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), Achim Steiner explained that the meeting take place together with the eleventh Global Ministers of Environment Special Forum Session was the first meeting happened. Before, there had been several ad hoc meeting thrice times that were Helsinki (2007), Vienna (2007) and Rome (2008). In those three meetings agreements toward synergy establishment from national, regional and global level was formed. “There are 144 countries attended the recent meeting in which 188 of them are developing countries,” said Steiner.

News by Bali Post