Indonesia plays crucial role to combat deforestation: Ambassador
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Indonesia plays crucial role in combating deforestation and forest degradation as the country holds the world's third largest tropical rainforest, with forest land covering about 60 percent of the country's land area, an ambassador said?in Jakarta?on Tuesday.
"Indonesia is a part of global solution in mitigating the effect of climate change," the Norwegian Ambassador for Indonesia Eivind S Homme told an international workshop on efforts in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) .
He said that the country could take maximum benefit from the REDD that is funded by the government of Norway.
The government provides 5.6 million U.S. dollars for the program with project period of 2009-2011.
He also said that his country fully supports Indonesia and the United Nations with this program.
"We are also ready to discuss further cooperation between Indonesia and Norway on this important issue," he said.
Agus Purnomo, Special Advisor for Climate Change to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said that the REDD initiative will play an important role to support Indonesia's voluntary commitment to reduce its emissions by 26 percent in 2020.
Amanda Katili Niode, Coordinator of Communication, Information and Education Division in the National Council of Climate Change, said that the program needs support from various stakeholders.
"This is not just the work for one ministry. This needs support from private sector, non government organizations, donors and developing partners and civil society," she said.
Amanda also said that the program implementation needs a legal basis like a presidential decree level so it has a strong law power.
