JAKARTA. Indonesia’s largest pulp and paper maker, Asia Pulp and Paper Group (APP), joined governments and NGOs on Tuesday in signing the New York Declaration on Forests during the UN Climate Summit 2014, which is an unprecedented international, multi-sector commitment to safeguard the world’s forests and tackle climate change.

All signatories of the Declaration have committed to slowing, halting, and reversing global forest loss while simultaneously contributing to economic growth, poverty alleviation, rule of law, food security, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation, APP said in a press release.

The declaration, which was formalized at an event hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, highlights that reducing emissions from deforestation and increasing forest restoration were keys to tackling climate change. Partners were called on to work together to at least halve the rate of natural forest loss across the globe by 2020 and strive to end natural forest loss by 2030.

APP Chairman Teguh Ganda Wijaya, who signed the declaration, said “we at APP also believe that forest-based products can help in this regard because they retain carbon, are recyclable and, when sourced from responsibly managed plantations, are often more sustainable than the alternatives.”

APP announced its forest conservation policy and zero deforestation commitment in February 2013. Over the last 18 months, the company has been working to implement this policy. Earlier this year, the company made a further commitment to supporting the protection and restoration of 1 million hectares of tropical rainforest in Indonesia, one of the most ambitious conservation commitments ever made by a private company.

Editor: Edy Can