VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jan. 26 - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), in his speech at the 2021 Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS), stressed extraordinary moves to be made at the global level to control and overcome the impacts of climate change.

"The impacts of climate change are very real before us. This is especially true for archipelagic countries, such as Indonesia," the president was quoted as saying in the official statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat here on Tuesday.

In the wake of climate change, farmers and fishermen in Indonesia are left with no other choice but to adapt in order to survive, the head of state noted during the summit organized virtually.

The coastal and small island population are struggling to survive amid the rising sea levels, he pointed out.

The president affirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic that hit at least 215 countries in the world, including Indonesia, has made the challenge of addressing the impacts of climate change even more complex and tough.

"Hence, we must take extraordinary steps," President Jokowi noted.

To this end, the head of state firmly believes that every country should firstly fulfill the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

"Indonesia has updated the NDC to boost resilience and adaptation capacity," he noted.

Moreover, every potential of the society must be mobilized to jointly raise awareness in controlling climate change and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

"Indonesia involves the community to control climate change through the Climate Village Program that covers 20 thousand villages in 2024," he stated.

Another extraordinary step deemed necessary is intensifying global partnerships, including capacity-building cooperation in dealing with climate change for countries in the Pacific region.

"Of course, developed countries must fulfill their commitments," he stated.

The fourth extraordinary step is to continue the development of a green concept for a better world, he remarked.

The president is optimistic that the 2021 CAS would have an impact on increasing actions through solidarity, collaboration, and global collective leadership in the efforts to control and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The online CAS 2021 was organized on January 25-26 and hosted by the Netherlands.

Several global leaders and local stakeholders partook in the summit that launched the comprehensive Adaptation Action Agenda that demarcates clear commitments to deliver concrete new endeavors and partnerships to make the world more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Leaders from 22 countries also took part in the summit with also presented UN Secretary General António Guterres and Co-Chair Global Commission on Adaptation Ban Ki-moon as speakers. (Antaranews)