Antalya, Turkey (ANTARA) - Indonesian President's Special Envoy for Climate and Energy, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, outlined several steps taken by the government in addressing climate change, from strengthening forest and land fire mitigation to plans to ratify the Bill on Climate Change Management.
He conveyed this during his speech at the Leaders Summit of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday (November 12).
He outlined various challenges faced by Indonesia due to climate change, including rising sea levels, extreme weather, an increased risk of drought, and forest and land fires due to the prolonged El Niño phenomenon.
"We take these matters very seriously, considering its impact on communities, the environment, and neighboring countries. We are strengthening prevention, restoration, and law enforcement efforts, while working closely with regional partners to address the impacts of widespread haze, including transboundary haze, through ongoing cooperation," Hashim remarked.
At the global forum, he revealed the involvement of more than 25,000 local community members in forest fire prevention efforts.
"We are also increasing the number of forest rangers and forest firefighters from 8,000 to 70,000 personnel, strengthening their capacity, improving early warning systems, expanding protected areas and national parks, and investing in conservation to protect forests and biodiversity," he continued.
Hashim then introduced the establishment of the National Peat and Mangrove Management Agency, under the auspices of President Prabowo Subianto.
"More than 285 million Indonesians depend on food security, a reliable energy supply, jobs, clean water, and a safe environment. We will not choose between development and climate action. President Prabowo Subianto's vision is very clear; we must achieve both," Hashim pointed out.
He then conveyed Indonesia's commitment to accelerating economic growth while strengthening food and energy security, creating jobs, and developing higher-value-added industries.
"We are also accelerating the transition to cleaner energy and increasing the productivity of degraded land," he added.
Furthermore, in order to achieve food self-sufficiency, the government has decided to refrain from expanding agricultural activities into forest areas, particularly primary forests.
Through the social forestry program, more than 1.4 million families have gained access to 8 million hectares of forest areas.
In addition, the Indonesian government has also designated 400,000 hectares of customary forests, with a target of reaching 1.4 million hectares by 2029 to support sustainable livelihoods.
With more than half of Indonesia's land area still covered by forests, Hashim reaffirmed the country's commitment to preserving its natural heritage while supporting efforts to improve community welfare.
"To support these efforts, the government plans to ratify the Equitable Climate Change Management Bill," he said.