JAKARTA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) — The United States has finally decided to take part in the planned United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Indonesia’s Bali on Dec. 3-15, 2007, an Indonesian official said Monday.
    ”Washington will send 60 delegates to the conference,” Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar was quoted by the national Antara news agency as saying.
    He made the remarks shortly after cabinet meeting on preparations for the conference at the presidential office here.
    The minister said the United States had initially refused to take part in the conference, but due to pressure from European countries and the presence of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in New York several days ago, it finally changed its mind.
    He said 189 countries to be represented by some 10,000 delegates and 2,500 foreign journalists had officially registered to take part.
    Witoelar said the Indonesian government would bear 20 million to 30 million U.S. dollars of the conference’s total cost of 60 million to 70 million dollars.
    ”Delegates will pay for their hotel accommodation costs and other expenditures,” the minister said.
    He said the conference was expected to produce a Bali Declaration which would be followed up in Warsaw, Poland, in 2008 and in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009.
    The two conferences are expected to adopt decisions to be implemented after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
    Witoelar said that during the Bali conference, security on the resort island would come under United Nations supervision.
    ”The conference venue will be safeguarded by the UN blue force and some eight hotels will be cordoned off,” the minister said.
Source: ttp://news.xinhuanet.com
October 10th, 2007
Bali News: Clouds Over the Bali Climate Change Conference?
The tourist industry in Bali is concerned that tourist facilities and infrastructure on Bali will be overstretched this December, during the Island’s peak tourist season, as tourists and Climate Change delegates jostle for the island’s limited facilities and infrastructure, reports the latest edition of the authoritative Indonesian Digest edited by Tuti Sunario.
Chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, urges the government, Climate Change Conference organizers and the tourist industry to anticipate an overload of visitors to the island, since December is normally Bali’s peak tourist season, reports Kompas on October 4, 2007.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held between 3-14 December, with pre-conference meetings by NGO’s and experts commencing in late November, is a prestigious conference that must be organized successfully, said Ngurah Widjaja. The UNFCCC is expected to draw some 10,000 delegates. “If, say, only 7,000 delegates will attend, Bali will already be overstretched” said Wijaya. This will be the first time ever that Bali has hosted such a large number of Convention delegates. Up to now, Bali has organized a maximum of 5,000 Meeting and Conference delegates at one time. For that purpose a large number of hotels have been blocked in the resorts of Nusa Dua, Kuta and Sanur, in order to be able to accommodate all delegates.
Bali today has a total of 50,000 rooms. There are additional rooms in outlying resorts such as in Ubud, Seminyak and elsewhere - with some room located more than 100 km. away from the main conference venues.
As the Bali International Convention Center (BICC) has a single-venue maximum capacity for 1,500 delegates, it is anticipated that the opening event will take place at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Complex (GWK), which can sccommodate thousands. However, because December is the rainy season in Bali, the government must anticipate that many outdoor facilities normally used for large functions and dinners, such as on the beach or GWK, may not be suitable due to lashing rains and high winds.
Seat availability on Bali-bound flights may also prove a problem. For the entire month of December last year, Bali received some 122,000 foreign visitors or an average of 4,000 tourists per day. Current arrivals are averaging between 5,000-6,000 visitors per day with many Bali-bound passengers complaining that seats on inbound flights to the island are increasingly difficult to obtain.
With some estimates running as high as 15,000-20,000 participants and accompanying persons attending the UNFCCC in early December, Bali’s carrying capacity is certain to undergo a critical test.
Source: www.balidiscovery.comÂ
October 10th, 2007