REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK) Siti Nurbaya held a virtual meeting with Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank Vice President for East Asia and Pacific and One Kahkonen, Country Director for Indonesia and Timor Leste on Thursday (24/6). The meeting discussed on three main agendas related to carbon, mangrove program, and supports for the implementation of Laws no 11/2021 on Job Creation of Environment and Forestry, operational completeness, environmental standard supervision, monitoring and law enforcement.
As stated by Minister Siti, those issues are very relevant as a part of continuous corrective act for her leadership.
Minister Siti said that Indonesia has the Omnibus Law on Job Creation that aligns many laws into one. With Job Creation Act, the regulation framework of environment is more comprehensive, solid, and investment friendly without omitting environmental protection and sustainability. With the ratification of the Laws No 11/2020, its derivative rules are also made, which is regulation related to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and also 7 Ministerial Regulation of Environment and Forestry that replace 88 Regulations of Minister of Forestry, Regulations of Minister of Environment, and Regulations of the Minister of Environment and Forestry. It is conducted to form a new working procedure that is simplified and omitting bureaucratic resistance.
She also explained that it is also an effort to tackle deadlock on forest problems that took decades to solve.
Therefore, Minister Siti stated that she welcomes the possibility of World Bank’s support for important and big works.
Responding to that, Victoria Kwakwa said that the issues mentioned by Minister Siti are very important that they become the attention of World Bank. They can also be supported by World Bank, such as carbon economy issue that can help Indonesia to reach lower emission target through carbon trade. World Bank, she said, supports country with great ambition to control climate change and sustainable development.
“I am pleased with many discussion results that happening today related to carbon pricing by forming carbon trade. We fully support this effort. Let’s go to the next step. We have experience on supporting China in terms of carbon trade,” Victoria said.
Victoria also mentioned that Indonesia is an important country and it has become one of world economic power. Therefore, if Indonesia has good progress on climate change control, it will create a big impact for the neighboring countries in Asia and even globally.
Carbon trade is striving for fulfilling Indonesia commitment to international citizen based on NDC target.
Furthermore, Minister Siti explained that Indonesia undergoes changes in fundamental regulation ratified by Job Creation Act. The Job Creation Act develops bureaucratic procedure into more systematic and simplified yet effective, so that the building of public’s interest, such as national strategic agenda and projects as well as business for economy, can move forward without bureaucratic and procedural obstacles.
The World Bank Vice President Victoria Kwakwa was very pleased to hear that. She wishes Indonesia to move forward. World Bank is ready to support development programs in Indonesia through funding to strengthen capacity, technical accompaniment from experts for implementation through systematic framework.
During the meeting, Minister Siti was accompanied by Director General of Climate Change Control Laksmi Dhewanthi and Director General of Research, Development and Innovation Agency BLI Agus Justianto. Virtually attended the meeting are Vice Minister of Environment and Forestry Alue Dohong, Secretary General Bambang Hendroyono, Director General of Forest Planology and Environmental Governance Ruandha Agung, Director General of Law Enforcement Rasio Ridho, Director General of Waste and Toxic Material Management (PSLB3) Rosa Vivien, and Secretary of Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency Ayu Dewi Utari.