Bali to welcome some 10,000

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

With thousands of government officials and NGO representatives arriving in Bali on the weekend, Indonesia has said it is ready for the 12 day UN climate change conference which starts Monday.

More than 10,000 people from some 180 countries have confirmed their attendance at the conference, including 130 environment ministers and five heads of state and government, plus Australian prime minister elect Kevin Rudd and U.S. former vice president and 2007 co-Nobel winner, Al Gore.

"We are ready for the big event," presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal told The Jakarta Post.

"Pak President (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) will be there on Monday to make sure everything is in place for the conference."

Head of Indonesia's organizing committee Agus Purnomo confirmed security, logistical, accommodation, and transportation arrangements for the event were in place.

The conference reportedly would cost some Rp 140 billion.

Indonesia and the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are set to jointly host the 13th Session of Conference of Parties (COP13) on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the third Session of Conference of Parties serving as a meeting of parties to Kyoto Protocol.

On Monday, outgoing COP 12 President David Mwiraria of Kenya is scheduled to officially open the meeting.

The conference would then be presided over by Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar, with support from the UNFCCC, headed by executive secretary Yvo de Boer.

The first week has been allocated for negotiations among the Kyoto Protocol parties including high-ranking government officials on a wide range of issues, followed by talks involving 130 environment ministers.

Addresses from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Yudhoyono are set to kick off the high-level negotiations.

Delegates are expected to create a roadmap on the mechanisms and procedures for negotiations to establish a new commitment to the Kyoto agreement, which is set to expire in 2012.

The conference is also set to discuss four core issues, including ways to reach a consensus on climate adaptation, mitigation to curb sources of emissions of greenhouse gasses, the transfer of technology from developed countries to developing ones, and a financing scheme to curb the impacts of climate change.

The UNFCCC said in a statement:Bali Conference will not deliver a fully negotiated and agreed climate deal, but is aimed to set the necessary wheels in motion".

"Parties need to agree on the key areas which the new climate agreement should cover, such as mitigation (including avoided deforestation), adaptation, technology and financing," the statement continued.

It also underlined the need for the parties to agree on when talks and negotiations would conclude so the new climate change deal could be ratified by governments before the end of 2012.

Dino said, "Looking at what we achieved in the Bogor preparatory meeting last month, we are optimistic we will strike a consensus on the Bali roadmap during the conference".

"Everything is looking good so far," he said.

During the meeting, participants are expected to negotiate the launch of a collective fund for adaptation, ways to reduce emissions from deforestation and burning, issues pertaining to the carbon market, and to arrange for a review of the Kyoto Protocol.

With non-parties, such as the U.S., also sending a delegation to the conference, many have predicted negotiations will be tough.

The U.S. delegation is headed by Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Dr. Paula Dobriansky.

The U.S. said in a press statement it was committed to advancing negotiations in Bali and to leading to a new international approach on energy security and climate change.

The White House is sending the chairman of its Council on Environmental Quality James L. Connaughton to join in leading the Ministerial sessions on Dec. 12-14.

The White House said it would also send U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Susan C. Schwab for a Dec. 8-9 Trade Ministers meeting.