Manokwari – West Papua’s vast primary forests are declared to meet the criteria to receive funding support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). This was revealed in the GCF funding potential workshop in West Papua Province, which took place in Manokwari, Wednesday (6/19/2019).

Noor Syaifudin, Head of the Climate Change Funding Sub-Sector, Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF), Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, in his remarks on the Workshop on Potential Funding for the Green Climate Fund (GCF), stated the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has developed a financing scheme through the GCF.

This is to help several developing countries such as Indonesia to achieve emission reduction targets and tackle the effects of climate change through regional action. Very large regional action to contribute to Climate Change so that the initiative of the GCF Initiative to encourage government stakeholders through the central and regional Government Priority programs that have an impact on the main objectives of the funding, at SwissBel Hotel Manokwari, last Wednesday (6/19/2019.

Noor further said, to run the Climate Change Project, the GCF was overseen through the Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF) of the Indonesian Ministry of Finance, which functions as the National Designated Authority (NDA) or as the NDA Secretariat. The main task of the NDA is to ensure that large-scale programs developed from UN funding through the GCF are in sync with the priorities and targets of the central government relating to climate change.

One of the strategies is the commitment of the Indonesian government with a target of reducing Emissions in 2030 through Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) with a funding scheme target of 29% funding from Indonesia, and if funding from other developed countries 41% contribute to mitigation projects for climate change in Indonesia.

While the commitment of the Indonesian government through climate change adaptation projects is outlined in sub-sector projects such as Food Security and energy sovereignty, economic resilience, life system resilience, ecosystem resilience, special territory resilience, supporting systems, cities, coastal, and small islands.

This funding scheme from the GCF, Indonesia has a list of climate programs that are in line with the priorities of the national action plan and has been through a climate finance mapping study in Indonesia. Since most programs are designed or implemented at the regional level, NDA needs to widely publish information about the GCF to local stakeholders, ranging from local governments, the private sector, universities, Non-Governmental Organizations, development partners to special indigenous groups in West Papua and Maluku.

In his opening remarks at the GCF Funding Potential event, the Governor of West Papua represented by the Regional Secretary Nataniel D. Mandacan read in a written text that, this GCF activity was part of the commitment and follow-up to the Manokwari Declaration through the International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecotourism and Creative Activities Economy (ICBE) in 2018 ago. And it cannot be separated from our Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW) with a target of 70% to protect ecosystems and tropical forests in West Papua.

Mandacan added that the main cause of the increase in Greenhouse Gases (GHG) is the increase in deforestation in West Papua so that there are new breakthroughs that must be made by local governments to overcome this GHG. One of them is the Manokwari Declaration having a shared vision of Tanah Papua, namely the Land of Peace, Sustainable, Sustainable and Dignified which contains 14 items, Province of Conservation and Low Carbon. The Provincial Government's commitment is lowered at the level of the City District which has become a Conservation District, for example Tambrauw, Arfak Mountains, Raja Ampat and of course other districts.

The land of Papua has been plotted by irresponsible parties so that the local government takes commitment with a variety of positive initiatives to overcome adverse problems. At present, the company's activities in the field are ongoing so that government programs and other policies such as low carbon, the Manokwari Declaration and others are important to be interpreted by all parties, said Secretary of State Nataniel D. Mandacan at the end of his remarks as well as opening the GCF Funding Potential Workshop activity at West Papua.

The activity was attended by government stakeholders consisting of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, the Government of West Papua, the Government of Maluku, the District and City Governments, Academics, NGOs and other Development Partners.

The purpose of the workshop activities held in Swiss Belhotel, Manokwari, West Papua, Wednesday-Thursday, 19-20 June 2019 is so that stakeholders in the regions, such as West Papua Province and Maluku Province can access alternative funding sources to finance priority projects or programs low emission development.

Dessi Yuliana said in her material presentation on the Green Climate Fund, the GCF had approved funding of US$100 million for the Indonesia Geothermal Resource Risk Mitigation Project (GREM) project with a total investment of US$410 million under PT Sarana Multi Infrastructure (Persero) as an institution which is accredited. In addition, a fund of US$0.8 million will also be channeled by the GCF for the project to prepare a Bus Rapid Transit transportation mode facility in Semarang worth US$1.25 million.

The Green Investment Specialist (GGGI) was appointed by BKF as a delivery partner in the implementation of the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support Program (RPSP) in Indonesia. "GGGI provides preparation and preparedness support programs for BKF and other institutions in increasing capacity so that they are able to access GCF funding, our goal is to help increase BKF readiness in carrying out its role as MDA," explained Dessi.

The Workshop activities are divided into three important issues which consist of Agroforestry, Food and Security (AFOLU), Energy, Adaptation and Mitigation. Then the discussion and the results of the discussion were presented, and the formulation became the policy of the government of West Papua and Maluku Provinces to address this Climate Change.

The Bentara Papua Representative also emphasized that there must be a joint commitment and all parties interpret the Government's policies to address the gaps that are currently happening. In the formulation there must also be an impact for the people who are consistent in protecting their customary territories and forests for the benefit of climate change.

The results of this formulation, continued Dessi, will be a priority program of the Provincial Government of West Papua and Maluku for the preparation of Proposals or Concept Notes to the Ministry of Finance and the GCF. *)
Bentarapapua.org / Yanu
https://bentarapapua.org/page/press_detail/115