Sitting in the Plenary of the UNCCC - Bali

Caption: Planting mangrove trees at Tanjung Benoa villagers, Bali Indonesia.

It's Monday morning 10 December in Bali. I am sitting in the Plenary II meeting where we are discussing the Kyoto Protocol pusuant to its article 9 scope and contents. Important and crucial issue to discuss en route to all parties coming up with the Bali road map that will be finalise in the coming week. I am sitting next to my former boss, Simon Missiri who is the deputy head of our delegation to the conference.

It is a huge event here in Bali with the main focus on the main conference, a raft of side meetings and parallel events for local authorities, UN, International organisations and NGO’s display, advocate, educated and lobby.

Yesterday, the atmosphere during the climate change conference in Nusa Dua Bali changed, at least during the afternoon. Instead of being trapped in hectic, complex discussions and lobbying in conference rooms on how climate change affect people in the earth, a fresh and inspired action was undertaken by Red Cross and Red Crescent along with Tanjung Benoa villagers, Bali Indonesia.

Led by Indonesia Red Cross Society (PMI) leader Mr. Mar’ie Muhammad, 50 representatives of Red Cross Red Crescent societies from all around the world enthusiastically joined with hundreds of villagers, youth and adult, dug the muddy sands, carefully placed the tree in its hole and fill it with the mud. Happiness blossomed among the crowded in that afternoon when they finally completed the planting of 1,000 mangrove trees. The community, with PMI help, plans to have not less than 10,000 mangrove trees along the exposed beach.

Will update you as further information comes to hand