Day: March 7, 2022

Beijing- China will actively support and assist Indonesia, which is currently holding the G20 Presidency, in promoting global economic recovery, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.

“This year, Indonesia will host the G20 Summit, themed ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger.’ Of course, China will actively support and assist Indonesia in promoting global economic recovery by improving global governance to enable developing countries to play a greater role,” Yi told ANTARA on the sidelines of a Parliamentary Session in Beijing on Monday.

China will also fully support Indonesia’s push for digital economy, green economy, and global health and welfare, he said.

“As fellow developing nations, China and Indonesia have similar interests to mutually strengthen the market in developing nations,” he said when asked about increasing trade relations between the two countries.

The heads of state of the two countries also have close relations so bilateral cooperation has continued to become more strategic and comprehensive, he said.

“China-Indonesia relations serve as a model of mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said via video streaming from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

In fact, in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, China was the first country to donate medical equipment and provide mitigation supervision to Indonesia, he noted.

Up till now, 290 million doses of China-made COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to the Indonesian people, he said. “The next step is that China will intensify vaccine cooperation with and make Indonesia a hub for vaccine development and production in Southeast Asia,” he added.

The cooperation with Indonesia has also been expanded in the political, economic, humanitarian, and maritime fields, dubbed as the “four-wheel drive,” he said.

Yi also warmly welcomed the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway line, which is scheduled to become operational at the end of this year.

“Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway line is part of cooperation conducted under the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ that the two heads of state have agreed upon,” he said.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta- Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif has said that Indonesia has prepared several initiatives to achieve the target of 23-percent new and renewable energy mix implementation by 2025.

“The attempts include the development of large-scale hydro, geothermal, as well as hydrogen power plants,” he informed at the opening of the G20 Civil Society 20 (C20) forum on Monday.

In addition, the government will install a 3.6-gigawatt (GW) rooftop solar power plant (PLTS), which has the potential to increase the utilization of clean energy mix by 0.8 percent, he added.

The use of biofuels is also going to be encouraged to reach up to 11.6 million kiloliters, he said. The attempt is expected to increase the clean energy mix utilization by 4 percent, he added.

Furthermore, the government will provide fiscal and non-fiscal incentives on clean energy utilization, the minister said.

To expedite carbon emission reduction, Indonesia has also applied several eco-friendly technologies, such as carbon capture, storage, and utilization (CCUS) technology as well as super grid electricity technology, he noted.

The government is also striving to promote the utilization of electric vehicles and the implementation of energy management, he said.

However, Tasrif emphasized that collaboration between the government, private actors, and non-governmental organizations is required to overcome the various challenges to reaching net-zero emissions. Hence, he said he expected the implementation of the 2022 G20 C20 forum to include various inputs for a just and sustainable collective agreement on environmental issues.

“C20 can encourage G20 leaders to adopt concrete action to address the impacts of climate change through the implementation of energy transition,” he added.

Furthermore, he affirmed that Indonesia is committed to implementing various energy transitions to achieve the nation’s emission reduction target by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060.

The C20 is a platform that engages more than 800 civil societies from various countries to convey the people’s aspirations regarding global crucial issues to G20 leaders.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta- Plan Indonesia has urged all stakeholders to further promote equality for girls during Indonesia’s G20 Presidency as a way to celebrate International Women’s Day, which is observed every March 8.

“Fulfilling gender equality must be used as a vital investment. Moreover, women’s equality and empowerment are the main issues raised by Women 20 during Indonesia’s G20 Presidency,” executive director of Plan Indonesia, Dini Widiastuti, said in a written statement received here on Monday.

According to Plan International’s 2021 Girls Leadership Index Report, Indonesia ranked 10th out of 19 Asian countries in the overall index, she noted.

In law and policy aspects, which covered equal pay, child marriage, domestic violence, and sexual harassment, Indonesia ranked 14th, she said. Meanwhile, in terms of women’s voice and political representation, Indonesia ranked 12th, she added.

Widiastuti said that girls are still facing various challenges, such as gender stereotypes and bias in various aspects, which are hindering them from making decisions for their lives, especially for leadership roles.

The urgency of promoting gender equality is even greater than before given the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the state of inequality experienced by women, including in Indonesia, she added. Data from Halting Lives 2: In Their Own Voice: Girls and Young Women on the Impact of COVID-19 report by Plan International, which covered 7 thousand girls and young women in 14 countries, has revealed that 31 percent of the respondents’ families lost their jobs and had no income to support the fulfillment of girls’ rights, she noted.

Therefore, to mark International Women’s Day 2022, Plan Indonesia has called on all stakeholders, both the government and the private sector, to act together and fight gender inequality, she said.

“We must also ensure that women’s rights are fulfilled from the age of childhood, and they are given a platform to increase their agency,” she added.

Meanwhile, deputy for human resources, technology, and information at the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, Tedi Bharata, said that gender equality and diversity provide added value to organizational performance, including SOEs.

Therefore, the ministry is continuously striving to expedite women’s representation, such as on boards of commissioners and boards of directors, with a target of 15 percent representation by 2021 and 25 percent by 2023, he informed.

“To (fulfill) this ambition, investment in women, so that they can lead, must be done from a young age,” Bharata said.

Another measure taken by the ministry to put emphasis on women’s role in state-owned enterprises has been the #GirlsTakeover 2021 initiative, launched in collaboration with Plan Indonesia, Srikandi BUMN, and the Indonesian Human Capital Forum (FHCI), he added. The program will end in 2026, he said.

“We are committed to increasing public awareness at the national scope about gender equality, while at the same time generating new young talents, including young staff of state-owned enterprises who uphold gender equality values and support women’s leadership at work,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta- Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno expressed optimism that short films created by local filmmakers would compete and become a source of pride for the national film industry.

“(The film industry) will bolster our economic recovery, and I believe it will open new business and job opportunities,” Uno noted in the press statement received in Jakarta on Monday.

The minister earlier visited the production site of a film titled “Kerupuk” (Fried crackers) at Idaman kerupuk factory in Majalengka, West Java, on Sunday (Mar 6).

Local creative filmmakers must be active in producing films that can evoke emotions and inspire viewers, Uno affirmed while inviting filmmakers to screen their movies through the ministry-organized Family Sunday Movie programme.

The programme is expected to be a medium for local filmmakers to deliver creative ideas through short films, he added.

“The film industry opens new creative opportunities for the youth and job opportunities for others. For the production of this movie alone, the filmmaker has opened 60 jobs for film crews, casts, and employees of Haji Eman (owner of Idaman krupuk factory),” the minister remarked. Short films produced by local filmmakers are expected to introduce the local wisdom; micro, small, and medium enterprises; as well as other opportunities and uniqueness that a region possesses, the minister explained.

“I think the most interesting aspect of this film is that the theme revolves around kerupuk, a local wisdom often observed in our daily activities,” Uno remarked.

The minister noted that the short film “Kerupuk” upon completion would feature in the ministry’s Family Sunday Movie programme.

The minister also expressed confidence that movies produced by Indonesian filmmakers would be accessible through and reach a wider audience on popular over-the-top media services, such as Netflix, Disney+, and Vidio.

Source: Antara News

Disaster risk reduction and post-disaster recovery were chiefly discussed during the 2022 National Coordination Meeting of Disaster Mitigation.

The meeting demonstrated the Indonesian government’s commitment to make disaster mitigation as one of its priority programs. It is in accordance with the National Medium Term Development Plan 2020-2024 on the environment, disaster resilience improvement, and climate change issues.

The strategy of strengthening disaster mitigation and preparedness is required to realize a disaster-resilient Indonesia and thereby supporting sustainable development.

Indonesia is a country that has often experienced natural disasters. For example, it was reported that Indonesia bore witness to at least 150 volcano eruptions over the last two decades, according to the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on February 4, 2022.

Head of the Center for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) Hanik Humaida stated that the level of volcanic activities in Indonesia was quite high with diverse types of eruptions.

“For the 2000-2021 period, more than 150 eruptions of 38 volcanoes with various types of eruptions occurred, specifically effusive, explosive, and phreatic, causing various dangerous phenomena,” Humaida noted.

Hence, the government has designated a framework for the concept of disaster risk reduction, including considering all possible ways to minimize the impacts caused by disaster incidents. Coordinator of Geological Disasters at the Jenderal Soedirman University’s Mitigation Center, Dr. Indra Permanajati, explained that the first aspect to note in strengthening regional capacity in disaster risk reduction is developing the formulations of mitigation and preparedness.

According to him, the capacity of each region becomes a crucial parameter that is one determinative factor in the success of disaster risk reduction programs.

Currently, the government has readied several policy instruments for disaster risk management, one of which is the Disaster Mitigation Master Plan stipulated in Presidential Regulation No. 87 of 2020 on the road map of long-term disaster handling until 2044.

Nevertheless, the prepared diverse policy tools need to be supported through collaboration among several parties for them to operate and meet the expected target.

According to Permanajati, concurrently a member of the Indonesian Disaster Experts Association, strengthening regional capacity can be supported by data, information, and risk maps in each region in the country. In addition, he suggested programs for improving the people’s literacy in disaster that can increase their understanding of risks at least at the regional level.

Other endeavors to empower regional capacity in dealing with disasters are to promote awareness on climate change adaptation as well as enhance social resilience and public health to increase the standards of disaster handling service. It is no less important to realize a society that is resilient against disaster events. Thus, it is imminent to encourage disaster education to increase public understanding and awareness of the importance of disaster risk reduction efforts.

Another approach to raise public awareness on disaster handling is through the disaster resilient village program, so that each village has the ability to independently adapt and deal with the threats of disaster and recover immediately from the damaging impacts.

Strengthening the community’s capacity in dealing with disasters is the key to defending society from the threats of disasters. Hence, active involvement among the government, business players, academicians, and the community is deemed necessary.

Disaster prevention

The commitment to strengthening regional capacity by holding relevant programs aligns with one of President Joko Widodo’s directives conveyed at the opening ceremony of the 2022 National Coordination Meeting on Disaster Mitigation, Wednesday, Feb 23. His directive stated that disaster handling programs should be oriented to prevention efforts.

Meanwhile, Permanajati highlighted that the programs aim to prevent disasters from occurring and preparing the community when a disaster strikes.

The principle of preventing disasters from occurring might apply to the types, such as landslides, floods, and land subsidence.

However, for disasters that are purely caused by natural factors, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, the community can be readied to deal with them, such as by training them to implement personal safety measures and being aware of the evacuation steps when such disasters strike.

During implementation, those disaster impact reduction endeavors had been exemplified by the Banjarnegara District Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in Central Java.

Source: Antara News

Indonesia yesterday confirmed 24,867 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total tally to 5,748,725, the Health Ministry said.

According to the ministry, the death toll from COVID-19 rose by 254 to 150,172, while 49,080 more people have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 5,122,602 in the country.

As the Indonesian government is accelerating its national vaccination programmes, to curb the spread of the virus, more than 192 million people have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while over 147.85 million have taken their second dose.

Indonesia started mass COVID-19 vaccinations in Jan last year, after the authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine.

Aiming to fully vaccinate 208.26 million people in the country, the government has administered over 352.26 million vaccine doses so far, including third booster jabs.

Source: NAM News Network

Jakarta- Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has urged taxpayers to submit their annual tax returns before the deadline ends on March 31, 2022.

“We urge taxpayers to file their annual tax returns before the deadline on March 31, 2022, for individuals and April 30, 2022, for corporations,” Amin said after filing his annual tax returns through the e-filing system provided by the Directorate General of Taxes from his official residence in Jakarta on Monday.

The Vice President was accompanied by officials from the Vice Presidential Secretariat, the Finance Ministry, and the Directorate General of Taxes.

Using the e-filing system for filing annual tax returns has some advantages: tax returns can be filed from anywhere and at any time without having to visit the local tax office, which reduces mobility and can help prevent COVID-19, he said.

Residents who have not reported their assets for years can utilize the opportunity to do so under the voluntary disclosure program initiated by the authority, he added. The Vice President then urged residents to actively participate in the program.

“We also urge taxpayers to utilize this opportunity for their convenience and to avoid difficulties and sanctions in the future,” Amin remarked. He said that reported assets and paid taxes demonstrate concrete contributions made by residents and corporations in Indonesia to achieve popular welfare, support national development, and enhance the national economy.

“Paying tax is our expression of love for the country. Tax is necessary to bolster national economic recovery, enhance the public health system, and realize our development vision to achieve an advanced and prosperous Indonesia,” he added.

Amin then urged taxpayers to comply with the tax regulation and pay their tax, as taxes paid by them would become the capital for national development.

“We encourage residents to comply with the tax regulation by filing their annual tax return timely through the e-filing system and utilizing the voluntary disclosure program. Our tax will return to us,” the Vice President remarked.

Source: Antara News