UN World Water Day 2012 - Sustainable Water Management Event

UN World Water Day 2012 Recognized at Sustainable Water Management Event

First in a series of actions in preparation for session at Rio +20

Jakarta, March 22 2012 – Today, on UN World Water Day 2012, The Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group is hosting a seminar on ‘Collaborative Actions for Sustainable Water Management in Indonesia’. This seminar supports the Global UN World Water Theme of “Water and Food Security”.

As Chair of the Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group, Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) is aiming to raise public awareness of the urgency of responsible water management and the importance of taking collaborative actions toward addressing national and international water issues.

The seminar will be addressed by Dr. Ir. Mochammad Amron, M.Sc, Director General of the Water Resources, Ministry of Public Works and will also feature the launch of a UN’s flagship global report on water entitled “The United Nations World Water Development Report 4”. Other keynote speakers include, Prof. Dr Hubert Gijzen on behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator and the President of the Indonesia Global Compact Network, Y.W Junardy.

This event is the first in a series of activities being undertaken by the Working Group under the Chairmanship of APP and in the run up to a session taking place at the Rio +20 summit in June 2012. Other activities to be completed before June will include a seminar on developing a formal water disclosure standard, the completion of a ‘Save Water’ campaign toolkit, a report on Indonesian best practice in water conservation and a series of practical projects to address community water challenges in Indonesia.

”At a time when the whole world is grappling with the question of how to promote more sustainable development, it is crucial to find new approaches to how we manage water,” said Prof. Dr. Hubert Gijzen, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Office in Jakarta. “Water is probably the single most pressing factor hindering sustainable development: limiting food production, causing death from water-borne diseases, and causing distress and economic damage from water-related disasters,” he added.

Y.W Junardy, President of Indonesia Global Compact Network said, “We encourage business participation in the ‘Save Water’ campaign, especially because it represents the collective efforts of companies across Indonesia, collaborating in our Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group. With the launch of this campaign, we hope other Indonesian companies will join our Working Group, and partner with us on our quest to address water quality and management issues across Indonesia.”

Aida Greenbury, Managing Director, Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement, APP said "As a key member of the Indonesian private sector, we seek to implement the six principles of the CEO Water Mandate in our daily business practices, as well as in the social and environmental commitments that are so important to us. We are dedicated to continually improving our water management internally as well as contributing in addressing water issues in the community surrounding our operations and beyond”.

"We hope that other companies across Indonesia will use Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group’s learning for achieving sustainable water management across their own operations, and in improving the availability of clean water to communities across our country," added Aida Greenbury.

Some of the ongoing clean water projects being conducted by APP include a Water Footprint assessment in all APP mills; the implementation of a community water supply project in Ujung Kulon National Park; and implementation of community-based water purification system in the Giam Siak Kecil - Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve.

For more information about Asia Pulp & Paper’s sustainability initiatives please visit www.rainforestrealities.com.

About APP:
As one of the largest pulp and paper companies in Indonesia, and as a member of the global business community, APP understands the importance of sustainably managing its water use in its daily production operations. In addition to managing water usage across its own facilities, APP also work together with local partners to address water issue in the community surrounding its operations and beyond.

APP has been a signatory of the Global Compact since 2008 and has been actively leading and participating in its various initiatives. APP pledged to the CEO Water Mandate on 22 March 2011 during the 2011 World Water Day Commemoration along with 5 other companies.

Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) is a brand umbrella for paper products which are produced by several mills in Indonesia such as PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk, PT Pindo Deli Pulp & Paper Mills, PT Pabrik Kertas Tjiwi Kimia Tbk, PT Lontar Papyrus Pulp & Paper Industries, and PT Ekamas Fortuna. APP is headquartered in Indonesia and markets its product to more than 120 countries. Most of APP’s production facilities are Chain-of-Custody certified by LEI and PEFC.

APP supports several main conservation initiatives, including a 178,000 hectare Biosphere Reserve in Giam Siak Kecil - Bukit Batu and an area of 106,000 hectare for the Senepis Tiger Sanctuary. Both are located in the province of Riau, Sumatera. Other APP wildlife preservation initiatives include the support of the Kutai Orangutan Program in Kalimantan and the conservation of the Javan Rhino in Ujung Kulon National Park.

About Global Compact Network (GCN):
Global Compact Network (GCN) is an organization established by the United Nations (UN) in 2000 by Koffi Anan, as the then UN Secretary General. In Indonesia, this organization is called Indonesia Global Compact Network (IGCN), which strives to become an agent of change in helping Indonesia to be a country that respects human rights, competitive labor force, environment conservation, and ethical business practices.

Launched in 2007, CEO Water Mandate is a public-private initiative developed by the United Nations designed to assist companies in the development, implementation and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices to enhance private sector contributions in addressing the rapidly increasing water scarcity in many parts of the world.

About Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group
Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group was developed to assist signatories of the UN CEO Water Mandate to comply with the UN CEO Water Mandate Principles and to encourage collective actions in addressing water issues in Indonesia. As part of the collaborative action, the Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group is planning a “Save Water” Campaign, a program to raise the awareness on the urgency and importance of Water Conservation. The campaign will consist of seminars, discussion and report development around water policy, water disclosure, best practices and collaborative actions on the ground with relevant government agencies, UN Bodies, NGOs, academicians, community and other private sectors.

ENDS

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