First thing popped up on my mind when I wrote this is a “green” diplomacy where a lot of countries in this world is bound to a mutual agreement to create a better environment. This was based on sustainable development concept which consist of people, planet and profit. Now from a country point of view, let’s put aside the profit first.
As a country which is a subject to international law, each one of them have its own rights and obligations. One obligation put as a state responsibility is a “common but differentiated” responsibility. This could be explained such as an example in Kyoto Protocol. In that Protocol we know Annex I and non Annex I countries. Annex I is a list of industrialized countries, and vice versa non Annex I could be grouped to non industrialized countries.
A common responsibility for every country is all the same, create a better environment for the future (Art. 2 Stockholm Declaration). A differentiated responsibility is a responsibility differs from industrialized countries to non industrialized countries. Why ? Because industrialized countries produce the biggest destroyer of earth’s ozone layer, the greenhouse gases. It wouldn’t be fair if non industrialized countries is obliged to do the same with Annex I countries.
Kyoto Protocol is going to be expired in 2012. It is 3 years left. The road of environmental diplomacy is getting more serious. The next conference of the parties (COP) of United Nation Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) is going to be held in Copenhagen, next December. Many parties believed that this is going to be one of Kyoto Protocol milestone. The question is how America, as the biggest greenhouse gases producer in the world, will react on this issue reminding that they are currently not a party in the Kyoto Protocol.
Indonesia as a non Annex I country play a bigger role even. The tropical forest is a “weapon” to combat greenhouse gases. That’s why there is a mechanism called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). This is an international partnership initiated in Bali where Earth Summit (COP 13) being held there. Germany as an industrialized country offer their technical help to Indonesia for implementing REDD through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), a Germany state owned enterprise. We could attract many foreign expertise due to the richness of our natural resources.
As Indonesia have its foreign policy regarding this issue, we could have been engaging in a multilateral and preventive diplomacy. A multilateral diplomacy like one in COP 15 in Copenhagen will create a very good opportunity for Indonesian diplomats to be well known in introducing their country potential power to combat climate change. This also represents a good opportunity to attract more and more foreign technical assistance for Indonesia. On the other hand COP 15 is a preventive diplomacy, a diplomacy meant to prevent the effects of climate change.
So, as a good citizen, lets speak our voices with our own way to make sure the issue mentioned above is well addressed in the next COP and Indonesia will be in very strategic position due to its position in the equator.
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