Labuan Bajo, 16 October 2022 – The Indonesian Interfaith Waste Charity Movement  (GRADASI) in Labuan Bajo together with around 200 community members held a beach clean-up in the Gorontalo Beach area, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. GRADASI is a collaboration between United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the National Coordination Team for Handling Marine Debris (TKN PSL), supported by Danone-AQUA and West Manggarai District Government.

Labuan Bajo, which is a super-priority tourism destination in Indonesia, produces 13 tonnes of waste per day. Globally, the waste issue needs to be tackled together with the local community. The beach clean-up was followed by school students, the community, and tourism actors.

In the beach clean-up, the participants collected 240.1 kg of waste around the Gorontalo beach. The participants also read the joint declaration on waste management read by Martinus Ban, Assistant for Economics and Development for West Manggarai District.

Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry, Alue Dohong said in his speech, “Labuan Bajo is a tourist attraction in Indonesia. If it is dirty, it will dicourage tourists from visiting. Personally, if I come to a place with a lot of trash, I have no interest in coming back. It will become a common perception. We need to maintain cleanliness in Labuan Bajo. Today's event is a commitment to reduce waste so that Labuan Bajo remains beautiful."

UNDP Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, who was also present, conveyed the importance of the younger generation in dealing with waste issues. Kanni said, “I grew up in an area close to the beach, and the issue of waste is very close to me. It is very important for us to invite and involve future generations, especially children, to understand and participate in activities like this, because they are the next generation who will save our earth in the future.”

Assistant for Economics and Development of West Manggarai District, Martinus Ban, also expressed his hope, "The number of visitors to Labuan Bajo is increasing every year. With this declaration, I hope that this activity will continue to be carried out."

Contact person:
Tomi Soetjipto, UNDP Indonesia Communications Specialists suryo.tomi@undp.org

About TKN PSL
The Indonesian government is committed to address marine plastic waste. This is proven by the issuance of Presidential Regulation No. 83/2018 concerning Management of Marine Debris, in which there is a target to reduce marine plastic waste by 70% by 2025. TKN PSL is chaired by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment and the Minister of Environment and Forestry. In addition, the Director General of Waste and Hazardous Waste Management of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry acts as the Chair of the  Implementation Team for the National Action Plan for Marine Debris Management (RAN PSL) , with the Deputy for the Coordination of Environmental and Forestry Management of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment as Deputy Chair of the RAN PSL Implementation Team. A total of 18 ministries and agencies in Indonesia are members of the TKN PSL.

Contact person
Rizka Adriana, Social Media & Website Content for Marine Debris
+62 822 2067 4986
rizka.lutfiani@undp.org