Day: August 20, 2022

Jakarta Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar has invited citizens to process waste into valuable economic resources.

“We know that waste has become a problem in the environment, but we have sorted out how waste can be a beneficial economic resource for the people,” she said in a statement issued on Saturday.

She then cited an example of waste handling by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The ministry gathered 68 tons of waste from the Bali Strait to Jakarta, and 79 percent of it had very high economic value.

“Thus, this also becomes a priority in order to maintain our environment so that it can become better,” she remarked.

Thus, waste is no longer something that is harmful due to the pollution it causes to the environment, instead it can become an economic resource, she said.

Indonesia does not lag behind when it comes to technologies for processing waste into economic resources, Bakar added.

In fact, Indonesia is among the best when it comes to producing breakthroughs for processing waste into economic resources, she noted.

“Of course, the people can also do this so that waste can become an economic resource through a variety of breakthroughs or innovations,” she said.

Construction company Rebcriks Indonesia has demonstrated how waste can be transformed into economic resources.

The company gathers nearly 50 kg of plastic waste every day, which is recycled to make paving blocks and hollow block construction materials.

The waste collected by the company is chopped twice, mixed with some formula, cured for 21 days, and then printed to make paving and hollow blocks, the company’s CEO, Novita Tan, informed at an event on Thursday.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta The digital ecosystem can help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to shift from the informal to the formal sector, an official from the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry, Yulius, has said.

Therefore, one of the government’s priority programs is getting 30 million MSMEs to join the digital ecosystem by 2024, and their number will continue to increase in the coming years, he informed.

“We will continue to encourage micro-enterprises to migrate from the informal to the formal sector and expedite MSMEs to enter the digital ecosystem,” he said during the “MicroMentor 3 Years’ Journey in Indonesia” event here on Friday.

This effort is a major challenge for all stakeholders given that, so far, only 30 percent of the targeted MSMEs have entered the digital ecosystem.

Therefore, the ministry is continuing to synergize with the private sector to encourage more MSMEs to enter the digital ecosystem.

An example of this is its support for the digital platform MicroMentor, which is the result of a collaboration between three companies.

The Garda Transfumi has assisted more than 33 thousand MSMEs and will continue to do so in the future. It has also contributed to the issuance of business identification numbers (NIBs) while training businesses via MicroMentor.

During Friday’s event, president director of PT Mastercard Indonesia, Navin Jain, noted that MSMEs are the backbone of Indonesia’s economy.

This is because they contribute 61 percent to the national gross domestic product (GDP) and absorb 97 percent of the nation’s workforce.

MicroMentor is a commitment from the company, under Mastercard Academy 2.0, to empower 100 thousand Indonesians with the skills that they need to succeed in the digital economy.

“We believe that this program is very important in supporting post-pandemic recovery and the digital transformation journey of entrepreneurs,” he remarked.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), of the total 64 million MSMEs in Indonesia, around 67 percent are in the informal sector and 33 percent are in the formal sector.

Source: Antara News

Forest and land fires still pose a threat to several regions in Indonesia, especially during the dry season.

Even though the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has claimed that the area of forest and land fires has decreased significantly in six years, the target of zero forest and land fires has not been achieved until now.

Indonesia has also simultaneously improved its response system. Currently, the country, which has 22.2 million hectares of peatlands (based on Global Wetlands data accessed on April 16, 2019), is seeing the need for standardization of forest and land fire handling measures, which can serve as a reference for all parties.

Head of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s Center for Standardization of Instruments for Disaster Resilience and Climate Change, Kirsfianti Linda Ginoga, said the state needs standards that are generally accepted and can serve as a basic reference for business players in the plantation and forestry sector.

The ministry is currently gathering inputs from various relevant parties—from companies, associations, academics, social institutions, to the community—to create a joint guidebook on handling forest and land fires.

During a discussion themed “The role of parties in supporting the application of standard forest and land fire control instruments at the basic level” in Palembang on Tuesday, Ginoga said that standardization will prioritize the norms that apply in the community regarding the use and protection of the environment.

Those norms will be condensed into guidelines that are accepted by all parties so that Indonesia can pursue the 2060 net-zero carbon target.

However, the standards will need to be detailed and dynamic because they will need to be in line with technological advances in the handling of forest and land fires.

For that reason, Ginoga said that the formulation of standards will take a relatively long time. Nevertheless, the ministry is targeting to create the general guidelines this year, she added.

Meanwhile, head of the communication and publication division of Positive Campaign of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) of South Sumatra, Anung Riyanta, said that the government has issued several regulations related to the handling of forest and land fires, including on the standardization of facilities and infrastructure provision and the standardization of permits, among others.

The Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry No. 32 of 2016 concerning forest fire control even explains, in detail, the obligations of facilities and infrastructure that must be prepared by plantation and forestry companies.

Riyanta agreed that the standards must be applicable to all sectors and must be dynamic or follow technological advances.

“Like in the fire towers, there were no drones in the past, but now, all of them (fire towers) are using them (drones). If we want to include it for standardization, we can, but what about other provisions, such as the minimum area of land,” he said.

Meanwhile, a fire operation management of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Sinar Mas officer in Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI), Mares Prabadi, said the company is now not only providing facilities and infrastructure according to government regulations, but is using the latest technology for handling forest and land fires.

Under the Integrated Fire Management (IFM) strategy, APP Sinar Mas’ partner companies are deploying three fixed-wing Flying Dragon UAV drones to monitor hard-to-reach locations up to a radius of 10 kilometers from the monitoring station.

The three drones are being flown daily like patrol helicopters, but are focusing on reaching certain areas that are not monitored by patrol helicopters.

APP Sinar Mas’ partner companies are also implementing an early detection strategy by utilizing various resources, including satellites and automated weather system (AWS) equipment, fire towers, monitoring and tactical posts, and fire teams (RPK) for ground and air task forces.

Positive response

Researchers from non-profit organization World Agroforestry (Icraf) have reacted positively to the government’s plan to standardize the handling of forest and land fires.

Currently, the world is facing several challenges presented by climate change, such as environmental and food crises. The same holds true for South Sumatra, which has a peat area spanning one million hectares.

Changes, such as a shift in function from protected peat to cultivated peat, will certainly impact the environment.

The shift in function has begun in South Sumatra, so the province is at risk of facing the challenges of climate change due to a decrease in the environment’s carrying capacity.

For that reason, Icraf, which is running a number of programs in South Sumatra, such as the “Land4lives” project, is encouraging policymakers to develop a Peat Ecosystem Protection and Management Plan (RPPEG), which is targeted for completion in 2022.

Icraf is also providing inputs to the government, which is currently revising the regional regulation on regional spatial planning.

Forest and land fires in Indonesia

According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the area of forest and land fires has decreased significantly in six years since Indonesia has simultaneously improved the response system.

Head of the ministry’s Sub-Directorate for Prevention of Forest and Land Fires, Anis Susanti Aliati, said that in 2014, the burned area reached 1.7 million hectares, while in 2015, it stood at 2.6 million hectares, or an increase of 46.9 percent.

In the next three years, there was a significant decrease in the burned area: the burned area was recorded at 438,363 hectares in 2016, or a decline of 75.3 percent; 165,484 hectares in 2017, or a decrease of 90.7 percent; and 510,564 hectares in 2018, or a drop of 71.3 percent.

However, in 2019, the area of forest and land fires skyrocketed again past the reference figure of 7.2 percent with the total burned area reaching 1.6 million hectares.

In the next two years, the figure contracted again: in 2020, it reached 296,942 hectares, or a decrease of 83.3 percent; and in 2021, it stood at 358,864 hectares, or a decline of 79.8 percent.

“If we want to observe (the figure in) 2022, the data presented is also much better than 2019,” she said.

Stakeholders have made many efforts to prevent forest and land fires by reflecting on the forest fire disaster in 2015.

Indonesia has developed a forest and land fire handling strategy by optimizing multiparty collaboration, starting by strengthening coordination from the central to local government levels, controlling forest and land fires using technology such as weather modification technology (WMT) and taking early extinguishing efforts, increasing preparedness, increasing capacity, infrastructure and funding, as well as international cooperation.

Despite the efforts that have been made, Aliati said that forest and land fires remain a threat to Indonesia every dry season because of the peat area of 22.2 million hectares spread over five provinces.

One of the newest challenges that the country is facing is the outbreak of fires in several provinces, namely Aceh, Lampung, Sumber, and West Kalimantan, which have been burning since the beginning of the year, and in mineral land areas.

Therefore, the government has decided to standardize the handling of forest and land fires.

Indonesia’s peatlands are believed to be as important as the Amazon forest that spans eight countries in South America. Therefore, the standardization of forest and land fire handling is expected to maintain the great capacity of Indonesia’s peatlands.

Source: Antara News

…we have also formulated principles that should be utilized to manage and develop these skills.

Jakarta The G20 Employment Working Group (EWG) has formulated a strategy called the G20 Skills Strategy in response to the changes in the working world, the Manpower Ministry’s secretary general, Anwar Sanusi, has said.

During its fifth meeting, EWG finished its entire agenda, including the formulation of the G20 Skills Strategy, he informed in a written statement issued on Saturday.

The EWG is a forum for discussing the economic and social aspects of employment-related policies. The EWG is also a means for G20 members to exchange ideas and best practices in their respective countries.

Meanwhile, G20 is an international forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union that work together to handle major issues. Indonesia is holding the presidency of the grouping this year.

After closing the fifth EWG meeting here on Friday, Sanusi informed that the G20 Skills Strategy includes the identification of job demand in crucial periods, the skills necessary for inclusive manpower development, and investment to develop these skills.

“Then, we have also formulated principles that should be utilized to manage and develop these skills,” he said.

The G20 EWG has overall conducted five meetings, both virtually and face-to-face.

The meetings have been held to produce the G20 Manpower Ministers’ Declaration, which will be read during the Labor and Employment Ministerial Meeting (LEMM) in Bali in September 2022.

The G20 EWG meetings have produced five additional documents or annexes, which are an inseparable part of the declaration document.

The first additional document contains concrete results related to the issue of the inclusive work market and decent work affirmation for people with disabilities. Annex-2 is an additional document on skilled human resources development.

The third document encompasses efforts to encourage entrepreneurship to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as a job creation instrument.

Annex-4 contains more adaptive manpower protection principles to provide optimal protection to workers amid the current dynamic development.

Meanwhile, Annex-5 covers the G20 Skills Strategy.

Source: Antara News

Three out of the five people that the police arrested yesterday have been named suspects.

Bandarlampung, Lampung Police have named three journalists as suspects in the alleged extortion of a state civil servant in Lampung province.

“Three out of the five people that the police arrested yesterday have been named suspects,” chief of the public relations service of Lampung Provincial Police, Senior Commissioner Zahwani Pandra Arsyad, informed in Bandarlampung on Saturday.

The journalists, identified by their initials as Jun (47), Gan (43), and Am (49), allegedly demanded a sum of money from a civil servant in return for not publishing his adulterous chats.

The police arrested the journalists based on a report filed by the state civil servant, identified by his initials as BMBK, to the TBU police precinct, Bandarlampung city police, Lampung provincial police on August 18, 2022.

BMBK said he transferred Rp15 million and Rp10 million to the suspects.

If found guilty, the suspects could be sentenced to up to nine years in jail.

Source: Antara News

Batam, Riau Islands Bank Indonesia (BI) has prepared Rp1.1 trillion in the newly issued 2022 edition banknotes for Riau Islands residents seeking to obtain the new currency notes via mobile cash exchanges and banking services.

“The nominal value of the 2022 edition banknotes obtained for the Riau Islands region is Rp1.1 trillion, which will be used for Riau Islands needs,” Head of Bank Indonesia’s Riau Islands Representative Office Musni Hardi K. Atmaja said on Saturday.

Bank Indonesia has prepared Rp800 million in the 2022 edition banknotes for Batam city, which will be disbursed through mobile cash exchanges at three separate locations.

“These money can be withdrawn by the public through banks. Bank Indonesia will offer money exchange service at the Mobile Cash Office until Tuesday. Today, at Fanindo, then Monday at Pujabahari, and Tuesday at Botania Satu,” he informed.

Exchange orders for mobile cash points can be placed through the PINTAR application, which can be accessed via the https://pintar.bi.go.id webpage.

The order placement is expected to reduce crowding during the money exchange process at mobile cash points.

BI has also distributed Rp39 billion in the 2022 edition banknotes to banks in the province.

“Then, Rp39 billion is already in the bank for today,” Atmaja said.

In the newest banknote release, Bank Indonesia has improved three aspects: design, security, and material quality and durability, he informed.

“In these new banknotes, there are improvements in three things. Design with sharper and brighter colors, then perfecting security by using the latest technology and material, we hope that the money will be better so that it lasts longer,” he said.

The release of the new edition banknotes is an effort by the central bank to improve banknote quality and public trust, boost money security, and cement the rupiah’s position as a symbol of national sovereignty, he added.

On August 18, 2022, Bank Indonesia released seven banknotes with denominations ranging from Rp1 thousand, Rp2 thousand, Rp5 thousand, Rp10 thousand, Rp20 thousand, Rp50 thousand, and Rp100 thousand.

“Today, August 18, 2022, I officially issue seven denominations of the 2022 Issue Year Rupiah Banknotes as a legal means of payment throughout the territory of Republic of Indonesia,” Governor of Bank Indonesia, Perry Warjiyo, announced on Thursdays.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry won the 2022 Law and Human Rights Ministry Partner Award, specifically related to support in the field of human rights.

“We, at the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, express our utmost gratitude to the Law and Human Rights Ministry for the 2022 Law and Human Rights Ministry Partner Award bestowed on us,” Acting Deputy for Community Participation at the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry Indra Gunawan noted in a statement received here on Saturday.

“Hopefully, the synergy and cooperation between the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry and the Law and Human Rights Ministry would be maintained well,”Gunawan added.

The award was bestowed as a mark of appreciation for the ministry’s support in the efforts to respect, protect, fulfill, enforce, and promote human rights in Indonesia.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly handed the award in person.

Minister Laoly also expressed gratitude to his administration’s work partners, as the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s success was the result of their cooperation with all stakeholders.

“Congratulations to you on this award, (which served as a token of) appreciation for the achievements, work, and also support for the Law and Human Rights Ministry from our partners. Keep working, innovating, and being creative. However, it must be noted that everything must be done with integrity, transparency, and accountability,” the minister reminded.

Recipients of the awards were the Supreme Audit Agency, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Financial and Development Supervisory Agency, State Civil Service Agency, State Money Printing Public Company , Australia Indonesia Partnership for Justice 2, Japan International Cooperation Agency, PT. Bank Negara Indonesia, PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia, PT. Bank Mandiri, PT. Bank Syariah Indonesia, PT. Admiral Lines, PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia, and PT. Indonesia Comnets.

Source: Antara News