|
Underlines NGOs, think tanks' roles
Simon SC Tay, the chairman and moderator of the forum delivering the concluding statement. Picture: BT/Yusri Adanan
Anna Abu Bakar
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, May 10, 2012 - Page A10
MSC Forum on Transboundary Haze
NON-GOVERNMENT Organisations (NGOs), think tanks and experts were acknowledged and urged to continue and bring to light the environmental issues to the public through the media and their own dialogues.
This was one of the key issues summarised by Simon SC Tay, the chairman of the two-day Second Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) Forum on Transboundary Haze which officially closed yesterday afternoon.
The Chairman, who is from the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, also said that the MSC Forum was an avenue to bring more NGOs and the private sector into dialogue with government officials and encouraged their efforts to be continued.
The Northern haze was noted by the forum to be a continuing and growing issue especially in the northern parts of ASEAN countries. Tay cited that Thailand was the only country that belongs to both the northern and southern MSC.
However, steps have been done by governments through facts and research "to increase their capacity to monitor fires and haze, and systematically map fire-prone and high biodiversity areas."
Tay explained that the participants reported on pilot efforts in the field to improve the knowledge and practices for the management and rehabilitation of forests and peatlands.
"One particular presentation," said Tay, "suggested that the current estimates of the impacts of the fires and haze may be under-evaluated, in terms of the quantities of CO2 and their atmospheric impacts. However, more research and fact-gathering were called for."
Participants further brought to attention the many reports on the fires and haze not restricted to forests and lands but especially in the peatlands. The chairman said that the forum participants placed emphasis on the large impacts of peatlands and urged that efforts be made sustainably to manage the areas.
The role of corporations was another key issue in which the participants discussed the role of the private sector and the corporations that are implicated in the fires that occur.
According to the chairperson, all the participants agreed that corporations that use fire and break laws must duly brought to account. In addition, other corporations were encouraged to improve their practices and make progress towards sustainability.
Tay said: "the governments should recognise good corporate environmental citizenship, and encourage practices such as company sustainability statements."
Emphasis was also placed on the need to utilise local knowledge and build linkages with the local communities. This was to encourage the participation of not only international and regional NGOs but also the relevant private sector actors. Some presentations highlighted that "efforts were being done in Brunei and inter-state cooperation on forest areas and peatlands that cross borders was encouraged."
A key issue that was also mentioned was the recurrence despite progress. "There was concern that the transboundary haze caused by land and forest fires will recur in 2012."
Tay said that this is despite continuing efforts within the MSC and ASEAN and steps taken by Indonesia, including the Presidential Decree. The participants discussed various approaches and projects that showed potential.
Cooperative solutions and stakeholders was another key issue. Tay said that focus was on fire-prone areas and these projects looked for cooperative solutions that would involve not only government officials at the national and local levels but also community groups, corporations and landowners. "With support and financial incentives, projects would involve donors/and or private investors."
The chairman further said that during the discussions, various examples were cited by the NGOs present. In these projects, fire prevention goals were combined with other concerns including conservation issues; links to climate change; and sustainable development.
He differentiated the various projects where some were at the local level within one country (such as at the regency level in Indonesia) while others like the Heart of Borneo (HOB) looked across borders and required inter-governmental coordination.
Also mentioned in the statement was how the government's role is to make projects viable. The participants agreed that the approaches discussed were worth further examination and pilot projects were encouraged despite the obstacles. "There is a need for regulations and incentives to be put in place by governments, in order to structure the market to respond," surmised Tay.
He said further that more preparations should be made to accommodate the responsibilities for governance and the flow of benefits between different government levels and agencies, and the communities.
Participation was of equal importance because the MSC Forum, Tay said, had brought government leaders and officials from the MSC countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand together with regional and international NGOs, experts, academics and representatives from financial institutions and business consultancies.
The Brunei Times
|
Webmaster
Powered by CORNERSTONE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM