WELCOME ADDRESS AT DINNER FUNCTION IN HONOUR OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (UCLG) WORLD CONGRESS
By : Fauzi Bowo Governor of Jakarta
JAKARTA CAPITAL CITY GOVERNMENT TUESDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2012 ANITA BOJE/YHM/SHB/HRY/ : Pages: 6
1 Good evening, Distinguished Delegates from the Asia Pacific Region, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to welcome you very warmly to the City Hall of the Jakarta Capital City of Jakarta. The room we gathered here tonight is called “Balai Agung”. In the Indonesian tradition, the name indicates a place where within a community very important things taking place – celebrations, inaugurations and significant announcements. So, this is the heart of the Jakarta Capital City Government. And I am very happy to be your host and celebrate here with you tonight in “Balai Agung” the 4th UCLG ASPAC Congress. Ladies and Gentlemen, The first day of our congress is nearly over. Today we have shared our experiences and ideas how to improve the resilience of our cities and municipalities – in terms of good and adaptive local governance and in terms of a modern and
2 innovative infrastructure, which unpredictable into consideration.
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We, as city leaders or as persons in charge for urban development and welfare – we already know how demanding our job already is when things are normal and everything is working relatively smoothly in our cities. But when things getting rough, when turbulences shaking up our usual routines, when natural or man-made disasters threaten the lives and the wellbeing of the people, then we have to ask ourselves if our city is really ready to cope with it. Ladies and Gentlemen, As the overall theme of this Congress indicates, it is all about “Re-Think, Re-Build and “Re-Vitalize” to get ready for tomorrow, especially considering the challenge of global warming. As you may know, Jakarta, as many other member cities of UCLG-ASPAC, face basic bread and butter problems: housing, transportation, flooding, waste disposal, the provision of energy and adequate drinking water.
3 These problems derive mostly from an increasing migration into our cities, where people are looking for jobs and prospects for a better life for themselves and their children. In case of Jakarta, the excessive land-use in the past is now a severe obstacle and constraint for making the city fit for the future. Given Jakarta’s geographical condition as a low-lying region, our city is very vulnerable to climate change. Based on Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) study, Jakarta is indicated as the most prone area towards climate change impact in South East Asia. In February 2007, Jakarta was hit by one of the worst flood ever experienced, covering 70% of metropolitan area. This disaster claimed human lives and caused enormous financial damages. The increasing of global temperature has caused climate change and variability, such as the changes of rainfall intensity as well as extreme whether. And the Sea level rise makes Jakarta prone to the activity of extreme weather such as floods and has a substantial impact on the city.
4 We are undertaking a series of adaption methods to prevent and control flooding and seawater infusion leading to subsidence. One of the major developments of flood control system in Jakarta is the development of East Flood Canal that has already flown to the sea at the end of 2009. The east flood canal has reduced the flood risk in Jakarta as much as 30%. The development of East Flood Canal is not only aimed to control the flood in Jakarta, but also to act as an economic prime mover at the northern and eastern part of Jakarta. It is supposed to be an integrated infrastructure development between Green Infrastructure and Water Front Development and will function as flood control, water conservation and not least as a green open space corridor. Ladies and Gentlemen, Sometimes it is necessary to make bold steps to shape a cities future, e.g. by big infrastructure projects like the East Flood Canal and the Green Infrastructure around it. This is an urgently needed adaptation measure to prevent disastrous
5 flooding in the East and North of Jakarta. We aim to make virtue out of necessity and seize the opportunity to create a green belt around this canal for the benefit of both economy and ecology in Jakarta. However to achieve real sustainability and resilience, we have to promote more than ever local control and to utilize local resources. By this, it is also possible to change people’s mindsets. People should realize that initiatives for resilience don’t just aim at a better life in an unknown future but are going to improve the quality of life of the people now. To work on the city of tomorrow pays off today. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very glad that UCLG ASPAC has competent partner organisations that have enormous expertise in the field of urban sustainable development and resilience. Various organisations also supported us a great deal to organize this Congress. I would like to thank the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction UNISDR, the Cities Development Initiative for Asia CDIA, the
6 WORLDBANK Jakarta, ICLEI, and the Cultural Development Network, Australia, for their outstanding support and commitment to this Congress. Tomorrow, these partners will facilitate Breakout Sessions and discuss in depth ideas and strategies with you, Ladies and Gentlemen, how we can make our cities ready. I wish all of us fruitful and interesting discussions. Ladies and Gentlemen, But this is the schedule for tomorrow. Now is time for celebrating, enjoying good food and pleasant company and having a good time here in ‘Balai Agung�. Enjoy this first evening of the 4th UCLG ASPAC Congress in Jakarta and enjoy your whole stay. It is a great pleasure to have you as our guest. Thank you!