The host nation of two upcoming conferences is looking to recognize the crucial role oceans play in global climate change. The conferences, the World Oceans Conference (WOC) and Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit, will be held in Manado, the capital of Indonesia's Northern Sulawesi province, from 11 to 15 May.
Both conferences will be attended by heads of state, senior government officials, experts and observers.
In all there will be 5,000 delegates from 120 countries attending the WOC. Indonesia's Minister for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Freddy Numberi, said he expects the conference to acknowledge the role of the oceans and to consider the Manado Ocean Declaration, which will be incorporated in the United Nations' Framework on Climate Change talks to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.
"We have to work hard to determine what's next after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012," he said. "With the Manado Ocean Declaration, we hope that the ocean dimension will play a greater role after Kyoto."
With respect to the CTI Summit, Numberi said the USD 70 million (EUR 54 million) granted by donor countries through the Global Environmental Fund will provide the resources needed to protect the region's coral reefs and the marine ecosystem.
Coral Triangle countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and East Timor.
May 4, 2009
