Badung, 23 May 2024 – In one of the panels of the 10th World Water Forum’s  High-Level Panel held in Bali, Indonesia called on all stakeholders to make efforts to save lake ecosystems. The panel was entitled "Urgent Call to Save Our Lakes: Promoting a Global Agenda for Sustainable Lake Management in Support of World Lake Day."

The Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, Siti Nurbaya, in her keynote speech delivered by the Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry, Alue Dohong, at the High-Level Panel expressed her gratitude for the positive response from various parties to the Indonesian Government's invitation to attend this high-level panel.

The 10th World Water Forum is a moment and opportunity to share ideas and raise important issues in an effort to save the unique and highly valuable wetland ecosystems, namely lakes that are highly vulnerable to surrounding pressures.

"Lakes, both natural and artificial, supply 87 percent of the surface freshwater and significantly serve the ecosystem, including through the provision of water for human consumption, health, food, and renewable energy," said Siti, Tuesday, 21 May 2024.

She also said that lakes play an important role in the food cycle, water purification, climate, biodiversity, as well as enabling recreational and traditional activities.

Indonesia also highlighted the importance of maintaining the health of lake ecosystems to overcome the threat of water-related disasters, global environmental challenges such as climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity, as well as supporting the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, especially the sixth goal regarding ensuring the sustainable availability and management of water and sanitation for all.

In her keynote speech, Siti reminded that efforts to realize the sixth SDG goal is not yet on track to reach its target by 2030, and the volume of freshwater lakes has been reported to be declining by half, with more than half of the world's largest lakes shrinking due to enormous pressure from a combination of excessive use of water and catchment, as well as the climate crisis.

To overcome this challenge, many countries, including Indonesia, have initiated national movements to save lake ecosystems since 2009, followed by the formulation of policies, guidelines and action plans to save priority lakes.

Siti also appreciated the UN Environment Program (UNEP) for its full support in elevating lake management to the global agenda, as well as various other efforts that have been made to increase awareness and the importance of sustainable lake management.

Minister Siti Nurbaya also expressed her appreciation for the adoption of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 5/4 on Sustainable Lake Management on 2 March 2022, which is an important milestone in global lake management. She emphasized that sustainable lake management must be an integral component in balancing environmental protection and economic development.

Finally, the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia invited all parties to develop concrete commitments in collaborative action for sustainable lake management, by setting agreed targets and indicators to monitor and evaluate the progress of implementing this collaborative action.