Jakarta, Indonesia - Business 4 Environment (B4E) Summit concluded today with the "B4E 2011 Business Declaration" supporting the Indonesian Government and President's commitment to reduce emissions by 26 percent to 41 percent by 2020.
This declaration was made as a commitment by the Indonesian business community attending B4E to support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Government of Indonesia to reduce emissions by at least 26 percent by 2020, with economic growth of 7%. "The government can move alone, the government can't move alone, the government can't move alone.
"The government cannot act alone, and the impact will be far greater than the cost of inaction," said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his remarks last Thursday. "As we move towards low carbon development, the participation of civil society and business as strategic partners will be increasingly needed to achieve a green economy (sustainable economy). President SBY also underlined Indonesia's commitment to allocate the expansion of plantations and other economic activities to critical lands or areas with low carbon. "WWF welcomes the strong commitment of WWF to the development of low-carbon areas in Indonesia.
"WWF welcomes the strong commitment made by the President. This commitment is the basis for businesses to work together with other stakeholders to achieve the emission reduction target of 26 or 41 percent, as stated at the G20 meeting in Pittsburg in 2009," explained Dr. Efransjah, CEO of WWF-Indonesia.
The declaration was delivered by Hatta Rajasa, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, on behalf of the hundreds of participants in the summit consisting of business people, representatives of government officials, civil society and NGOs.
An important component of the declaration was the agreement to support "Zero Net Deforestation and Forest Degradation (ZNDD)" by 2020, and at the same time eliminate products resulting from the conversion of ecologically important (high conservation value) forests by 2020. The declaration was presented by Hatta Rajasa, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs.
According to the Living Forest Report, study released by WWF at the start of B4E on Wednesday, April 27, more than 230 million hectares of the world's forests will be lost by 2050 if no action is taken. The report recommends that policymakers and businesses unite to achieve the ZNDD target by 2020 as a global point of departure for preventing climate change and biodiversity loss. "This declaration is a testament to the fact that the world's forests will be lost by 2050 without action.
"This declaration is a testament to the cross-sectoral cooperation that is essential if we are to prevent forest loss and mitigate the negative consequences of climate change," Dr. Efransjah continued.
The declaration also includes commitments to reduce resource use through investment in energy- and resource-efficient technologies, support for areas of high biodiversity, investment in sustainable urban planning, and better supply chain management. "We will continue to work to convince our stakeholders that we need to reduce resource use through investment in energy- and resource-efficient technologies, support for areas of high biodiversity, investment in sustainable urban planning, and better supply chain management.
"We will continue our efforts to convince forestry and plantation companies to implement sustainable mechanisms. Good governance systems and incentives will give businesses the assurances they need to operate on critical lands," said Rod Taylor, WWF-International's Director of Forestry. Collaboration between forestry and plantation companies is essential.
Business collaboration in Heart of Borneo
The B4E Summit was preceded by the Heart of Borneo (HoB) Green Business Day organized by WWF's Heart of Borneo initiative. At this event, businesses in the palm oil, forestry and mining sectors had the opportunity to exchange ideas and share experiences about their operations in Borneo.
Adam Tomasek, Leader of WWF's Heart of Borneo initiative, stated that the initiative is committed to engaging stakeholders in conservation and sustainable development efforts in the 22 million hectare region. "The Green Business Day organized by WWF's Heart of Borneo initiative was a great opportunity for business leaders to share their experiences on their operations in Kalimantan.
"The Green Business Day organized by HoB is a manifestation of this commitment and the productive dialogue between representatives of each business sector, government representatives and civil society will further strengthen understanding of the challenges and opportunities in achieving sustainable development. He also added that the event was an opportunity for stakeholders to engage with each other and with each other.
He also added that the event brought some progress, one of which was the announcement of the first pulp and paper company to become a member of the Global Forest Trade Network Indonesia initiative.

Note to the Editor
About B4E
The B4E Summit was organized in partnership between Global Initiatives, WWF KADIN and the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and aims to "generate collaborative solutions to solve the environmental and climate problems facing the world today." The B4E summit was organized by Global Initiatives, WWF KADIN and the Indonesian Ministry of Environment.
Photos related to the B4E summit from April 27 to 29 can be accessed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/62243656@N07/sets/72157626482505623/.

Further information:
Nazir Foead, WWF-Indonesia Policy Director, nfoead@wwf.or.id, +62 811977604
Irwan Gunawan, WWF-Indonesia igunawan@wwf.or,id +628128748535