Jakarta: WNAM MONITORING): Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have joined forces to tackle plastic pollution in Indonesian rivers following a new agreement signed on Friday to strengthen their partnership and address environmental concerns.
“This partnership is a new milestone in strengthening cooperation between Indonesia and the UAE to overcome environmental problems,” the deputy for coordination of environmental and forestry management at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Nani Hendiarti, said at the Indonesia Sustainability Forum (ISF) 2024 here on Friday.
The partnership was formalized with the signing of an agreement between Clean Rivers, a UAE-based non-profit, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on cleaning up plastic waste, particularly from Indonesian rivers.
The agreement was a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding signed last April between the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment and the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
“The focus (of the partnership) is on mitigating plastic leaks into the ocean by strengthening efforts to handle waste in rivers and processing it using a circular economy approach,” Hendiarti informed.
In the next three years, she said, Clean Rivers and UNDP will handle five thousand tons of plastic waste in five river areas by implementing a clean-up program and making efforts to prevent waste leaks into the ocean.
Collaboration between the central and local governments as well as environmental activists and the community is very important to strengthen the integrated waste management system, she added.
Such collaboration could also raise awareness of related stakeholders and the community about improving waste management.
The clean-up program will cover rivers in Bekasi District in West Java, Surakarta in Central Java, Surabaya and Sidoarjo in East Java, as well as Badung in Bali.
Clean Rivers CEO Deborah Backus affirmed her commitment to reducing plastic waste in rivers for cleaner oceans.
“This partnership with UNDP is the first step of many subsequent projects in Indonesia. We believe that community empowerment is the key to success. In addition to cleaning up plastic waste, this project will create a sustainable waste management system, as well as foster a culture of caring for the environment for future generations,” she said.
Meanwhile, UNDP Indonesia deputy resident Sujala Pant said that cross-sector collaboration is needed to support Indonesia’s target of reducing marine waste by 70 percent by 2025.
“As the implementing partner, we will work with the regional government, NGOs, and local environmental activists to ensure that each waste management program can run by adjusting to the specific needs of each region,” she added.
