Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica, Oslo-Norway, 27-5-2010

Joint Press Briefing at The Opening of Oslo Climate and Forest Conference

 

TRANSCRIPT
JOINT PRESS BRIEFING
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AND
PRIME MINISTER OF NORWAY
AFTER
THE OPENING OF OSLO CLIMATE AND FOREST CONFERENCE
HOLMENKOLLEN PARK HOTEL RICA, OSLO-NORWAY
MAY 27, 2010



<b>Prime Minister of Norway</b>
Welcome to this press conference. First of all, I would like to express how glad I’m together, to be with together to with my Co-host, the President Yudhoyono of Indonesia to announce that we today have a great on the global partnership on forest.

And forest is the key issue in our world to avoid global warming because deforestation accounts for around 17% of global emission of the carbon or CO2 the green house gases. And without reducing the emission caused by deforestation, we will not be able to avoid global warming.

And therefore, we have works for sometimes to try to establish a global partnership on forests. It was actually one of the important conclusion in Copenhagen was started the world was going to establish of forest mechanism which could contribute to reduce the deforestation and reduce the forest degradation.

President Sarkozy and I announced an initiative early this winter, we had a meeting in Paris and now we have the meeting in Oslo. And now we are able to establish the forest partnership.

The forest partnership is an important partnership because it creates the framework around all the different activities efforts which we need both in different countries on the international level, on bilateral level to be able to reduce deforestation.

And what we are doing today is to create this framework. It will provide more transparency. It will provide better access to data. It will provide a common approach and thereby it will make our works to reduce the deforestation much more efficient.

And we are also as part to the partnership adapting some core principles. And then main principles are that we are going to have an open transparent process, we are going to undertake different measures but we are going to monitor and measure both different national flows but also the mitigation actions. And we are going to establish a database which makes prosperous to have much more comprehensive, much more coordinated, much more efficient work on reducing deforestation.

At the global partnership, also provide the national framework for reducing deforestation and it is cooperation between developing and developed countries. But in addition the partnership provides so that the platform to mobilize more financial resources, because we need more funding if we are going to reduce deforestation.

And therefore I am glad that we hang out reach around 4 billion USD and that has been committed for the period 2010-2012. We’ve got a new commitment from Denmark during this meeting. And they has been un-increased in the financial commitment, financial pages since Copenhagen.

That is important because that underline start the partnership we know are establishing or actually addressing the two main issues on the global climate agenda and that is forest and finance.

Forest is the area where we can show progress, where we can reach their the biggest, the tallest, and the cheapest emission reduction, there what we have pursued of the work of reducing deforestation because they are really able to see concrete, progress concrete result action on the ground. But in addition, the forest cooperation addressed the other important issue on the international climate agenda and that is finance.

Because without finance, we will not be able to create the trust, the confidence between the developing and the developed world and therefore by mobilizing financial resources to forest. Well actually both contributing to concrete action on the ground reducing deforestation, reducing emission. But in addition, we are contributing through progress in the negotiation because we are contributing to the mobilization of finances. In Copenhagen we agreed on what we called fast track money approaching 30 billion USD in the period 2010-2012. Now we have reached 4 billion so far dedicated to forest and it just underline the important of forest.

Then I am of course very grateful to be able to establish this forest partnership together with President Yudhoyono. And we have to do that for several different reasons, business. One is that President Yudhoyono, I, we are worked together on many different national issues. The millennium development goals, on child and maternal health but we are now also then working closer together on climate change. And President Yudhoyono has been really a strong leader on the climate agenda for a long time. He hosted the Bali Conference. And now, yesterday, Norway and Indonesia agreed on the bilateral agreement which is going to reduce deforestation in Indonesia.

Indonesia has announced ambitious national target of reducing deforestation. We have three phases approach. In the first phase, we are going to establish capacity, monitoring system, reporting system, especial entity under the President to establish the needed capacity to reduce deforestation in Indonesia.

The second phase is going to be pilot provinces where we test how the system is working, where we are actually doing work on the ground to reduce deforestation and one more to differences provinces in Indonesia.

And the third phase would be full-scaled, national wide cooperation. We are doing something similar as what we are doing in Brazil. We agreed in the baseline and every reduction below the baseline is going to be paid as a result based financing, reduced emission are paid by the funding mechanism.

So, I think that the agreement with Indonesia is one block, one building stone with in the forest partnership we establish today. The partnership today is the framework, the agreement with Indonesia is an important building block of, as part of this framework.

So, I am glad to be here together with you and I am glad that we are how going from declaration, to re-action, that we are starting to implement the agreement we made in Copenhagen both on finance and forest. So, please.

<b>The President of the Republic of Indonesia</b>
Thank you Mr. Prime Minister.
I am pleased to be here at the invitation of the government of Norway to participate in the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference. Indonesia highly appreciate the government of Norway for hosting this conference. We also appreciate the government of French for hosting the international conference on the major forest basins last March.
To read right word, the Prime Minister of Norway has just conveyed the Oslo Conference will facilitate the implementation of REDD through the establishment of an in-term REDD partners plus partnership arrangement. With this arrangement in place, we can take necessary immediate action and provide funding for forest and climate management as stated in the Copenhagen Accord. We can do this before the convening of COP-16 UNFCCC in Cancun, Mexico this year.

If we waited until after the COP-16 UNFCCC, we would be missing an opportunity to carry out urgent immediately needed action especially on financing matters. Has we need an in-term arrangement that will support and speed out the existing framework. Whatever the partnership will carry out after this conference, it will be integrated into the legally binding mechanism produced by COP-16.

Indonesia is a keen advocate of REDD considering the immense contribution that it could move, I should say, it could make tour the attain of our target for emissions reduction. We are now at the second phase of the REDD implementation process, which mean that we are ready to set our, set out policies and increase capacity, corrective demonstration of REDD.

As we stated at COP-15 UNFCCC in Copenhagen, Indonesia will continue to actively contribute and take part in climate change mitigation and emission reduction efforts, especially through forest protection and sustainable management.

These efforts are not only feasible multilaterally but also bilaterally as Norway and Indonesia have done as has been mentioned by Prime Minister Stoltenberg. The Prime Minister of Norway and I, yesterday witnessed the signing by our respective ministers of a letter of intent on REDD cooperation between our two countries.

By with to the LOI, Norway commits itself to help Indonesia carry out emission reduction measures. I am also pleased to tell you of the efforts being taken by the Forest-11 which comprises 14 tropical forest nations. The F-11 is working hard to promote the conservation and sustainable management of tropical forest, as this served as the lung of their heart.

Indonesia would like to see the F-11 and the partnership complement each other in caused of climate stability. My final point, sustainable forest is only part of the larger solution to global warming. The rainforest countries have shown their seriousness and determination to protect the lung of the earth and provide critical environmental services to the world.

Now the developed countries must also show the same result in reducing their own emission. And on this, we all know that there is still much to be done. Time is running out for all of us, let’s move forward together. That’s conclusion of explanation to add to what Prime Minister have explained to you. Thank you.

<b>Mrs. Gladys, Reuters</b>
How can the rich country pay to this program when they are dealing with high budget deficit in economic problems?

<b>Prime Minister of Norway</b>
That’s the issue on another meeting. Now I mean I’ll try to answer. First of all, the UN Secretariat General has established an advisory a group on climate finance. I’m member of that group and also President Jagdeo of Guyana, who Cordero also member of that group. So actually it’s known body in the UN which is now established to drive this multiple plus of finance. But are of course different sources.

What is ordinary public money or money from budgets therefore be we are been able to mobilize so far from United States, from France, from Germany, from Denmark, from Norway, from other countries. It’s money coming from budgets, government money. But I believe that if we are going to reach 30 billion for forest but also for others issues fast track money. And even more if we are going to reach 100 billion which is promised by 2020, there is no way to be able to mobilize that much money without mobilizing the private sectors.

So, in one way or another we have to add private money to the public. And in Norway, we know how to do that. We have long experience. We have done it before. But a lot threaten ways and we are discussing different issues in this advisory group.

One is of course to ask for and it just Bowen technique contribution. And the George Soros announced this that we will set this considering to support and we are seen it when comes to bring our works together on the millennium development goals, we get as provided on the mitigation foundation.

But in addition to that kind of voluntary contributions, we are looking into how can we mobilize money from a different kinds of carbon pricing. That might be carbon taxes, that might be emission trading, it might be some kind of charge on e-tickets, on my tram transportation and so on. We are looking to many different kinds of carbon pricing with the purpose of using some of the revenue to the finance climate action and forest. And we need carbon pricing because it gives double positive effect. It is the right incentives to producers and consumers to change their behavior. And second it provides also with the source of finance. So, we need common money, we need private alternative money, but we need I think the most important source of finance to be carbon pricing in this case.

<b>Norwegian Journalist</b>
Yes thank you. Could you please be more specific about those 4 billion dollars that’s from frequent 5 last year? Which country that common on both you mention the Denmark and which country are they contribution by on that?
<b>Prime Minister of Norway</b>
That largest contribution has come from Germany in addition to of course the contribution tax earlier. It’s 315 Euros, 315 million of Euros and the dollars is positive mode depending on the exchanges. And start the major year financial contribution. There is peak list I don’t tell you excepting use, in my head but the major contributors are United States, Norway, France, Germany, UK.

<b>Mr. Johan, Norwegian Journalist</b>
Thank you. I have a question regarding the money flow in the forest partnership. Should it be part of both of you to market system for climate goals? Thank you.

<b>Prime Minister of Norway</b>
That’s too early to say it actually. But you know as soon as we have a established a result based financing, we are actually paying per ton and that is important thing. I think it’s even reach to debate whether or not this the third payment is going to be a part to our national education or ambition. But important thing is to tall reduction and if this is included I mean as soon as we established, that you paid for ton then it’s almost the market.

But the question is not well or not weak to do in the kind of market system. But the thing then we issue is whether or not included in on the enrichment national goals. Well, I compromise you that if we include forest, we are going to increase our national goals. Because forest is a key that we have an answer, we are going carbon mutual budget by 2030, if we conclude forest there are going more than carbon, more than carbon mutual budget itself.

<b>Ms. Anthania A, Development Today</b>
I have a question for the President of Indonesia please. When a possible deal was being discussed between Indonesia and Norway earlier, your regional officials said that expansion of palm oil industry at the expansive rainforest would be a kind of deal breaker for Norway that couldn’t continue with Norway work to provide finance at the same level as long as we’re giving to Brazil. So, my question and two question to you, the first is what is will this deal mean for palm oil expansion? Does the signal changing in policy on palm oil? And the secondly, does it signal are changed in Indonesian policy on reorganization of rack of indigenous people and sistral territories? Thank you.

<b>The President of the Republic of Indonesia </b>
Yes, we have our own plan as also part of this cooperation, partnership between Indonesia and Norway. And through the tree reducing our gas emission from deforestation and forest degradation.

Number one, we have the policy to use the degradated land to the expansion, and I could, I will not use the word the expansion, the continuation of the palm oil industry in Indonesia. We will control that the continuation and that business, that industry will not disturb the forest that had to be protected. So, I am glad to inform you that we have large areas thus so called the degradated land that can utilize for our agriculture including palm oil plantation and industry.

Number two, under our cooperation, we identify specifically what has to be done by Indonesia and this connection. For example, managing our peat land, avoiding deforestation, combating forest fires and also imposing moratorium for giving license for natural forest. And I am thinking probably to battle of giving license of the peat land for a business.

That’s part of our overall action plan to be implemented. Because with or without international cooperation, we have our own plan to reduce our emission by 26% by 2020 using our own resources, our own fund. But of course, I have to achieve twin objectives. On the one hand, we have to improve the welfare of the people, to reduce poverty and so on, on the other hand to preserve our forest. This cooperation of course will enable us to do more in achieving our objectives in years to come. In this framework of cooperation, the central government will also involve our local government to include the local communities, the indigenous communities to be part of this implementation of our cooperation.

So, the answer is yes, we will establish special agency and that agency is also involving all segment of the societies. And this agency will also establish a new monitoring, reporting and verification, a system based on the international standard. So with that I am hoping that both Norway and Indonesia can check and supervise all the time what Indonesia will be doing, what Indonesia has done in the fulfillment of our obligation based on this cooperation.

<b>Brazilian Journalist</b>
This expansion issue will be replaced by future UNFCCC mechanism. My question is, is it there that would it happen before or in COP-16? And the would you to be the work the concrete works that the practical issue you have here into COP-16 and then after that?

<b>Prime Minister of Norway</b>
I will say that sooner this partnership can be part of the global agreement, It has been in country debated. Because the whole idea is that by doing something bottom up by gathering 50 countries which agree in one concrete area. We can both make progress on this area forest but in addition we can contribute to progress in the global negotiating process.

So, the whole aim it’s to make this part of the legally binding global agreement. When that can happened I am not whether, I will be careful, strictly to make all but important thing is that even if the negotiation takes time we will continue to do our work, we will not wait for a global international agreement. We will do this regardless in away all the progress of the international cooperation or negotiation. And then advanced stage, is be part of the global agreement perhaps in until actually I hope that because it such a strong support for including forest. And I think forest may be one of successor in cutting and might be we should be in legally binding agreement but we made, we have to do in rainforest.

What is the participant is going to do? First of all the partnership is important in itself because of the number of countries that are participating more than 50 countries have agreed on principles, have agreed on framework. So, just the magnitude itself is important, part of this is important.

Second, the main purpose on the partnership is to coordinate. Because we have different efforts, different actions but without any coordination then we measured in different ways, we are double reckoning both mitigation and financial goals. Now we are going to establish one common framework with one common database with one common way of measuring lands or grounds tons, long-term, short-term and so on. So, by established one framework we are going to have a transparent, opened way where we both measure national ways, tons different actions in a standardized common way. That is the second thing that we are going to do.

The third thing, we are going to do is to mobilize financial resources. But this gives us in whether platform to increase the financial goals.

And fourth, I think is to exchange experience from each other. But then I should say the partnership is the framework we have to fill it in reduction and other action progress with Brazil that’s pretty concrete. Deforestation has been reduced. Now we are establishing the cooperation with Indonesia and that’s concrete. We are going do as research in three phases. And we have a cooperation with other countries know well so is that’s the country framework we fill in action.


<b>Norwegian Journalist</b>
To Mr. President, what do you consider to be the major obstacles to reducing emission from deforestation and degradation in Indonesia?

<b>The President of the Republic of Indonesia</b>
Yes, my challenge is how to involve all stakeholders in this part of big endeavour in reducing our emission from deforestation. With this framework, with our own experiences in dealing with this issue, we will improve the organization, the mechanism, the monitoring system, the incentive to be given to indigenous people, the local communities. So, they will be part of this overall cooperation.

So, we will do our best in overcoming the challenge and once again, this is a transparent cooperation. So, we could evaluate along the way. If there is something that then we could correct it. So, I am optimistic that we could implement this cooperation. And I am glad to inform you also that I will send my team to visit Brazil to learn how Brazil is also implementing the cooperation with Norway. And I am hoping that Indonesia will have the same standard, the same mechanism, the same supervision to ensure that the establishment is going well. So, that’s our challenge. But based on our experience, I believe that we could provide the solution to that problems and challenges.



*****


<b>Bureau for Press and Media Affairs
Presidential Household</b>