VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The United Nations Agency for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) organized the UNESCO Management of Social Transformation Academy or UNESCO MOST Academy from 8 to 10 November 2018. In his remarks at the opening of the UNESCO MOST Academy, Thursday (Nov 8) in Pekanbaru, Riau, Program Specialists for the Social Knowledge Unit and UNESCO Humanities Jakarta Irakli Khodeli said this forum was a place for various parties involved to contribute by sharing experiences related to efforts to deal with the haze hazards. Riau Province is chosen as the host of the meeting because it is considered to be one of the significant areas affected by the environmental and social disaster. In addition to sharing experiences, according to Irakli, the three-day meeting is also expected to produce recommendations and input for the government in taking effective steps in handling smog.

"The idea here is really to take advantage of so many preminent expert, specialist, practitioners, being together for the next two days to exchange our ideas, to learn from each other about what can be done about this important issue of haze air pollution," said Irakli.

The UNESCO Management of Social Transformation Academy or UNESCO MOST Academy in Pekanbaru takes the theme Bioethics and Sustainable Science in Action to Stop Haze Pollution. Irakli Khodeli explained that the bioethics aspect was raised considering the adoption of the Declaration of Ethical Principles in the Relation to Climate Change in 2017. According to him, the declaration underlined the importance of using science as an ethical principle in every decision made by the government, especially regarding climate change.

"All these articles, all these principals, all these concepts, after all the work that goes into it. To elaborate at the international level and create this declaration will amount to zero change if we don’t do something about it. If we don’t find a way to take these declarations and take it to the government at national level, the local level, or take it to the communities and try to translate these into concrete actions, concrete outcomes," Irakli said.

Irakli further hoped that the bioethical approach in a decision making at the government level could help bridge the various interests involved in each issue. (VOI/ANDY/AHM)