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As we got off the plane in Denpasar, Bali sticky humidity awaited us along with a horde of people queuing up waiting for the stamp on their passport. As we emerged from the airport, faces greeted us, faces which funnily enough seemed very familiar to me, although never having encountered these people before. Déjà vu, I think not, perhaps the communal and hospitable Asian ways, whatever it was the feelings of friendship and warmth were overwhelming. Those feelings only intensified over the course of the workshop. Discussion, song, dance, laughter and political banter resided among a community of unassuming participants - a cross section of Asia made up of mostly middle aged men, however the presence of strong willed women overclouding the somewhat masculine dominance. Participants travelled from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Flores (Indonesia), Jakarta, East Timor, South Korea, Tibet, Burma, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Australia. All coming together to discuss issues of Human Rights and Sustainable development in an Asian context. A big ask for a week. However well achieved by a tight regime of Indonesian organisers who meticulously ran the conference with ease and confidence. Each day of the conference was jam packed with a lot of discussion, dialogue and Indonesian food. The conference started out by outlining basic UN processes to World Summits and general information to the structural and ideological organisation of the UN and of ICMICA. An introduction to the WSSD outlining its background and its history was given. We revisited the '92 Earth Summit in Rio along with the Asian Region PrepCom which was held in Cambodia and the UN PrepCom 2 and 3. Each country had an opportunity to present an overview of their country's situation in regards to sustainable development, and to share with the group the issues of human rights and development that are of concern. During the conference general topics were discussed including:
We had the opportunity to go on an exposure day trip. The Australian contingent seeking excitement on the open waters, opted for the day trip to the neighbouring island of Cennangan. One look at the boat that we were to make the 2 hour trip to the island on - reminded Minh of the boat trip he took to seek political asylum some 20 years ago! Surviving the rough trip, we arrived at Cennangan an idyllic paradise. The locals provided us with an interesting insight as to how the people lived and how a small community of Indonesian seaweed farmers deterred the building of some 8 hotels on the island. On day 5 the group attended the multi-stake dialogue session at the UN PrepCom. After waiting for a couple of hours for our NGO passes - which entitled us to enter through the back door of the hotel and observe minimal sittings, I was all geared up to listen and to watch, and the excitement of wearing those multi-lingual head phones was sinking in. However I soon found myself disoriented and in need of a compass. Working out what was going on was challenging, the multitude of caucuses running parallel to the ministerial meetings were confusing, people from around the globe sitting on tables writing some sort of draft document, and debating issues such as water usage, energy conservation and poverty.. In one word - a Circus. I soon discovered that the ring masters seemed to be a group of about 5 countries called JUSCANZ - US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. These countries were cracking the whip. Even though I did get to listen to a part of the multi-stake holder dialogue in 5 different languages and witness some inspiring words from an NGO representative I felt that it generally was a talk-fest and found it difficult to place its importance in the grand scheme of things. It was important for me to be totally disillusioned. Those utopian visions of children around the world holding hands around a globe that mesmerised me 10 years ago as I watched the Rio Summit on TV, were images ingrained in my thinking, and in well need of shattering. To my relief, I was not the only one who felt disoriented that day. Most of the group were at a loss and only the few experienced ICMICA members were able to positively deconstruct the day and debrief and explain the happenings. The heart of the meeting lay in the participants. The men and women who engage in their peoples daily struggles trying to make sense of the best action to be taken. The networking was ad hoc, with people exchanging hugs and business cards. ACMICA really needs to invest in some cards! The promises of emailing and continuing communication were endless and I genuinely believe that the community present was one which engaged in each others struggles with sensitivity and interest. It was the first time that I didn't mind playing those corny get to know you games, and didn't mind sitting through another cultural night listening to proud nationalists chant their national songs. The Declaration on human rights and ecologically sustainable development in the various parts of the Asia Pacific region was the culmination of the week's discussion. What comes after conferences such as the one in Bali? We need to look at that question, however lets not over ask it. At conferences like these, one must become a sponge and absorb as much as possible in the short time that they are given. Immersing yourself in the wealth of knowledge that is present, and allowing yourself to experience the difference is essential. Networking is the ultimate goal of such gatherings. The most important role that we played in Bali was sharing an Australian perspective and gaining a truly Asian perspective on issues such as rights and sustainability. |
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