This week, my colleagues and I had the fantastic opportunity to represent APP and join the various delegations from all over the world at the UN Global Compact Corporate Sustainability Forum, also known as the Rio+20 Summit.

I participated in the side event hosted by the Indonesian Global Compact Network on the topic of “Water Conservation Initiatives Across Sectors,” including presentations from Mr. Gavin Power of the UN Global Compact and Mr. Y.W. Junardy, the President of the Indonesian Global Compact Network. As we know, the global water crisis is one of the most pressing issues faced by mankind today – even more pressing than the issue of climate change – and to address this issue, a strong collaboration between and commitment across sectors is highly important.

As the Chair of the Indonesia Water Mandate Working Group (IWM WG), I spoke on the issue of “Collaborative Actions Across Sectors in Addressing Water Challenges.” Through this presentation I shared the various programs of the working group, including the educational “Save Water” Campaign, and a new project between IWM WG and the Indonesian partner of World Vision. The new project, called “Urban Community Resilient through Community-based Total Sanitation,” is aimed to address water challenges at the community level by improving water sources and sanitation practices of more than 800 families in the urban Jakarta area. APP is a main sponsor of this project. Through this project, we will empower the community to recycle water and will raise awareness of the importance of good water management and hygiene practices.

APP is proud to be the first Indonesian pulp and paper company to pledge to the UN CEO Water Mandate initiative, a public-private initiative designed to assist companies in the development, implementation and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices. As a representative of APP, I had a chance to do a second presentation on “Water Stewardship: Access to Clean Water for All.” This time, I talked on various programs implemented by APP, whether on the operational side – such as the installment of technologically-advanced waste water treatment in our recycled paper mill – or on the social front – where we strive to provide clean water access to Indonesian communities in need. Water is a very important aspect of our operations, and APP will continue to promote the importance of responsible water management and the urgency to take collaborative actions to address the local and global water crisis to our partners and beyond.

It was such an amazing experience for me, to participate in such a big forum where governments, NGOs and private sectors all come together to find sustainable solutions for the world that we live in. I am positively buzzing with excitement, and confident that this forum will bring results that will lead to the betterment of us all.

Tags: APP, Asia Pulp & Paper, Asia Pulp and Paper, Global Compact Network, Rio +20, water crisis