Give young people access to talks, say Indonesian officials
Young journalists meeting Indonesian President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
18 December 2009: Story by Plan-supported young reporter Dita, Karida and Reina (Indonesia) at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
The Indonesian dignitaries at the Copenhagen summit expressed their surprise that children and young people were stopped from accessing the talks.
The young Plan-supported journalists Dita, Karida and Reina met Indonesian government officials and briefly met the Indonesian President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The president congratulated them for winning an article writing competition on climate change and said that they were the pride of the country.
During their time together, the team interviewed several members of the Indonesian delegation. They also held a joint press conference and had a one-to-one with the president’s spokesperson Dino Patti Djalal.
Child participation
During their meeting, Mr Djalal spoke out about how important it is for children to participate in the Copenhagen conference and said that he was surprised children weren’t given access to the talks.
Mr Djalal said: “The important thing is the way people think and behave towards the environment. It is easier to raise awareness and teach children about low carbon behaviour compared to adults.”
He also added that if he were in our shoes, he would change his lifestyle, stop producing carbon and plant trees.
The reporters also spoke to Hendra Yusran Siry, the planner of Agency for Marine and Fisheries Research at Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries about combating climate change and Erna Witoelar, United Nations Special Ambassador for the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia Pacific.
Dita, Karida and Reina are among 11 Plan-supported young journalists quizzing world leaders on their plans to tackle climate change at the Copenhagen conference. Find out more about the young journalists.
