In the hopes of agreeing on a roadmap towards a Kyoto II agreement, representatives from 180 countries, together with CSOs and intergovernmental organizations, gathered in the “land of the gods” –Bali, Indonesia- from December 3-14, 2007.

Photo by: Flint Duxfield/ AidWatch

As the COP13 and CMP 13 meetings droned on inside the Bali International Convention Centre, CSOs gathered outside to express their demands and frustrations over mechanisms that floated during the negotiations- the Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) and the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)- which were criticized to lack teeth in curbing greenhouse gas emissions necessary to prevent climate change.

Numerous parallel activities were held such as the activities at the CSO Forum and the People’s Protocol on Climate Change campaign. A discussion with tribal leaders was held in the mountain area of Sumber Klampok in East Java and came up with the Sumber Klampok Declaration. The declaration states the indigenous groups’ commitment to help solve the climate change problem by protecting the environment through local wisdom. The declaration also listed their statement of principles which rests on sustainable development and demanded the government to protect their rights and ensure their welfare in coming up with mitigation and adaptation measures. The document was incorporated into the draft People’s Protocol.  And on December 8, around 80 participants took part in a People’s Workshop in Denpasar, the capital of Bali, which became the venue to discuss and debate on the Bali negotiations and to critique the draft Protocol. The workshop was sponsored and organized by IBON and hosted by a number of Indonesian organizations.

December 9 was the International Day of Action and on December 10 –international human rights day- a nationwide rally was held in 14 key cities in Indonesia and participated by five thousand people calling for people’s sovereignty on natural resources and supporting the call for a People’s Protocol on Climate Change.