Day: September 2, 2022

At least 200 families in Bali received healthy food aid from the province’s Family Prosperity Empowerment (PKK) Driver Team as part of efforts to prevent stunting.

“What becomes the focus of the dissemination and social action is the duty to reduce the stunting figure,” head of the Bali PKK Driver Team Putri Suastini Koster said here on Friday.

The Bali PKK Team, along with experts, educated people on the importance of reducing stunting to ensure the nation’s prosperity while sharing additional healthy food, she added.

A total of 500 aid packages comprising four bags of rice weighing 20 kg, sugar, cooking oil, eggs, vegetables, and fruits were provided by the team to 200 families.

The stunting rate in Bali, which stands at 10.9 percent, is below the average national figure of 14 percent and is categorized as low.

The Bali provincial government is striving to reduce the rate to 6.15 percent by 2024.

According to Koster, the aid provision will be carried out by the PKK Driver Team in all districts and cities of Bali.

One of the recipients of the aid on Friday was Nyoman Ardika (52) from Padangsambian, who expressed his joy over receiving the aid amid rising living costs.

“Today, I received rice, eggs, vegetable, and snacks. I am very happy. This is the first time I have received this,” Ardika, who works as a garbage collector, remarked.

“I thank Bali province’s PKK, and I hope that there will be more because it is very helpful to me,” he added.

Source: Antara News

The Communication and Informatics Ministry is encouraging the state civil apparatus (ASN) to learn and adopt digital technology to improve the quality of public services, Director of ICT empowerment Bonifasius Wahyu Pudjianto informed here on Friday.

“We are encouraging ASNs to adopt digital technology to improve the quality of public services provided to the community,” he said.

In August, the ministry and the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) held a training entitled “Increasing Digital Technology Competence of State Apparatus of the National Civil Service Agency.”

Pudjianto said he expected the training materials to enhance ASN’s knowledge, comprehension, awareness, and proficiency in using digital technology, as well as promote carefulness in utilizing accounts and devices.

Based on the National Digital Literacy Index Survey conducted by the ministry and the Katadata Insight Center in 2021, the digital literacy score of Indonesian people was 3.49 out of 5, or in the average range.

Therefore, activities with the tagline #MakinCakapDigital or #ToBeMoreDigitallyLiterate have been initiated by the ministry to accelerate digital transformation in the state apparatus environment.

ASNs must be able to apply the four pillars of digital literacy: digital skills, digital security, digital culture, and digital ethics, BKN Chief Secretary Imas Sukmariah said.

“The basic skills in the digital era that we need to master include skills in using the Internet, social media, and the ability to search, sort, and select positive content, as well as the ability to process and create information,” she added.

Furthermore, ICT practitioner Dr. Istiani said that the adoption of digital culture must be accompanied by collaboration, data knowledge, innovation, and services that have a good impact on society.

“ASNs need to have skills to build national insight of diversity, especially in the digital world,” Istiani added.

Source: Antara News

Dozens of ministers for the environment and climate of G20 member countries held an important meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Aug 31, 2022.

Some 17 ministers and 11 deputy ministers of G20 countries were recorded to have attended the meeting that was held for an entire day at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC).

The meeting titled, Joint Environment and Climate Ministers’ Meeting (JECMM), was also attended by 362 delegates.

The direct presence of the ministers for the environment and climate of the G20 countries reflects their support for the Indonesian G20 presidency and friendship with the Indonesian people.

Indonesia drew attention to three issues at the G20 Environment and Climate Ministerial Meeting: support for sustainable global recovery, improvement of environmental protection actions, and collaboration between countries for resource mobilization to accelerate environmental protection actions and address climate change.

The G20 forum could serve as a platform for Indonesia to prove, both domestically and globally, that the country can lead actions to save the earth.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said that Indonesia encouraged the need to apply a multilateral approach to confront various global environmental issues that affect countries during the G20 Joint Environment and Climate Ministers’ Meeting (JECMM).

Bakar pointed out that various global environmental issues had affected all countries, and they were in a position to solve them independently.

Hence, every country has the responsibility to maintain environmental multilateralism in order to resolve them, she stated during the G20 Joint Environment and Climate Ministerial Meeting (JECMM) in Nusa Dua, Badung District, Bali Province, on Wednesday.

Environmental multilateralism is the only mechanism wherein all countries, regardless of size and prosperity, are on the same standing and receive the same treatment, she affirmed.

The application of multilateralism in addressing environmental issues will provide a good opportunity for developed and developing countries to be heard, she noted.

To this end, Indonesia’s G20 Presidency, within the G20 JECMM, also invited several other parties, such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union.

These parties’ concerns and interests are also important. All countries can contribute in the solution through several ways, Bakar remarked.

The multilateralism approach in confronting environmental issues is also the only method to effectively coordinate steps in handling various global challenges.

She urged G20 member countries and representatives from other attending organizations to bolster the spirit of mutual respect.

The minister also invited all countries — developing as well as developed — to contribute to efforts to address global environmental issues through collective action with the help of the G20 forum

Collective action and global partnerships are essential if we want to address global environmental challenges and lead the world towards sustainable recovery, she said.

The world is currently facing various environmental issues, such as population growth, water crisis, resource scarcity, and energy security issues, as well as environmental degradation, the minister noted.

Moreover, the world is reeling from the impacts of climate change that could exacerbate these crises, she said. The phenomenon can have an impact on the progress and development that has been achieved over decades, especially in developing countries.

The minister said that no country can be free from the impact of environmental issues or handle them on their own.

To this end, it is necessary to pursue environmental multilateralism to ensure that countries of various sizes and wealth stand on an equal footing.

Bakar reminded that great hopes have been pinned on the G20 forum regarding collaboration to deal with environmental issues.

The G20 needs to be relevant for the world, in general, and not for its members, she said.

Chair Summary

The Joint Environment and Climate Ministers’ Meeting (JECMM) of the G20 resulted in several agreements on overcoming environmental problems and controlling the impacts of climate change, which were summarized in the chair summary document.

Several agreements on environmental issues discussed today (August 31, 2022) are reducing the impact of land degradation and drought, increasing protection, conservation, and restoration of land and forest ecosystems in a sustainable manner to reduce the impact of climate change and loss of biodiversity and land damage.

The meeting also yielded agreements on increasing multiparty cooperation, capacity building, exchanging experiences and lessons, as well as developing multilateral agreements based on nature.

The meeting also discussed efforts to reduce pollution and environmental damage, waste management, sustainable water resource management, marine debris, marine conservation, and circular economy, Siti Nurbaya Bakar stated.

There is a session on finance specifically on how sustainable financing can overcome various climate crises. However, various aspects are deemed crucial, such as reform of the structure for international funding, Bakar explained.

From the aspect of climate change, several agreements were reached regarding strengthening climate action, the role of budgeting for COVID-19 recovery to improve climate mitigation and adaptation, commitments to prevent losses and damage due to climate change, and continuing the Glasgow Dialogue.

It was also agreed to increase research, strengthen understanding of the relationship between climate and oceans, local and regional initiatives, involve groups vulnerable to climate change impacts, and strengthen engagement in marine dialogue.

Meanwhile, director general of climate change control (PPI) at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), Laksmi Dwanthi, said that the chair summary document of JECMM reflected the dynamics of various issues, including geopolitics, and included matters that were generally agreed upon.

The chair summary contained all 50 issues that G20 member countries reached an agreement on.

Several issues have been discussed since the first meeting in Yogyakarta, the second in Jakarta, and the third in Bali. The meetings resulted in 50 paragraphs for elements of the environment and elements of climate sustainability, Dwanthi stated.

Furthermore, the agreement resulting from the meeting will be delivered to the heads-of-state-level meeting for further discussion.

Source: Antara News

State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina succeeded in saving operational costs of around Rp6 trillion (US$402.46 million) until July 2022 through several efficiency programs amid rising world oil prices that increased fuel production costs.

Pertamina President Director Nicke Widyawati stated that such a success could not be separated from strategic cost-saving measures taken by the company group since the start of this year.

She explained that energy companies around the world are facing difficult situations as a result of disruption of the global energy supply chain due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The global trade mobility leading to post-pandemic recovery was jolted by limited supply that led to an energy crisis.

The president director noted that the Indonesian government’s policy of maintaining the people’s purchasing power through fuel subsidies was the proper measure to accelerate economic recovery.

According to Widyawati, the accuracy of the policy is reflected in the fuel consumption increase for community mobility and business activities.

On the other hand, she also pointed out that the increase in fuel consumption had caused an increase in the burden of government subsidies.

“We understand the heavy burden of the government’s fuel subsidy, and for that Pertamina carries out various cost-saving programs in order to help reduce the burden,” she stated.

She remarked that the largest chunk of the company’s cost of fuel production is for the purchase of crude oil, which accounts for 92 percent of the production costs.

Fortunately, investment in upgrading the Pertamina Oil Refinery, which had been conducted in the last four years, had succeeded in increasing the flexibility of crude oil availability.

“It means, if so far, the Pertamina refinery has only been able to process certain crude oil that is expensive, but starting last year, it has been able to process crude oil, with a higher sulfur content, which is cheaper and can be gained from many sources,” Widyawati stated.

This is Pertamina’s strategic move that has succeeded in significantly reducing fuel production costs, she affirmed.

In addition, the company’s energy efficiency efforts in all operational areas — from upstream to downstream — had caused significant cost savings while also contributing to a reduction in carbon emissions.

“The post-restructuring breakthrough, which is also significant to achieve Pertamina Group’s efficiency, is the centralization of the procurement of goods and services, as well as the integration and optimization of all assets from upstream to downstream,” she stated.

Apart from saving costs, the Pertamina Group has also succeeded in increasing its revenue through the export of high value-added products, such as HVO (palm-based D100) and Low Sulfur Fuel Oil.

By upgrading its refineries, Pertamina has currently been able to produce more low-carbon products whose demand had continued to increase, thereby capturing a very prospective opportunity in the midst of global demand for such a product.

“For Pertamina, cost savings are not just about cutting costs but also changing operating models and improving business processes, so that all company programs can be carried out and all targets are achieved, but at a lower cost,” Widyawati stated.

“Pertamina will continue to make various efforts to save costs, which at the same time can reduce carbon emissions, thereby supporting the company’s and national energy transition efforts,” she said.

Source: Antara News

The Indonesian government has initiated several policies to support the development of digital talent, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has emphasized.

“It is predicted that by 2030, there will be a shortage of 47 million digital talents in the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, Indonesia needs around 600 thousand digital talents every year. To that end, the government has initiated various policies,” he said in an official statement received here on Friday.

The value of Indonesia’s digital economy in 2021 was the highest among ASEAN countries at US$70 billion, he noted.

This value has been forecast to increase to US$330 billion by 2030. With this rapid increase, the need for digital talent, the main navigator for driving the digital ecosystem, is also projected to increase. Therefore, the government is trying to encourage the development of digital talent and infrastructure through various policies, the minister explained.

One of the policies initiated by the government is the end-to-end digital Pre-Employment Card Program to develop work competencies and entrepreneurship through the provision of financial assistance.

The value of the Pre-Employment Card benefits is up to Rp3.55 million for each individual and the program is targeting more than 13 million beneficiaries from 514 districts and cities, Hartarto disclosed.

The government has also made Information and Communication Technology (ICT) a core part of the educational curriculum at all levels. ICT will also be used to increase research and digital innovation, especially for the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups, as well as boost investment in research, development, and application of innovative digital technology, he added.

Furthermore, Hartarto explained that the government is also trying to expand connectivity by building digital infrastructures, starting from the Palapa Ring Fiber Optic Network, Base Transceiver Station (BTS) Towers, Satria multifunction satellite on relatively small islands, and the expansion of 4G and 5G coverage, to the construction of National Data Centers at a number of strategic locations.

The acceleration of digitization is also one of the main agendas of the Indonesian G20 Presidency to encourage concrete deliverables for realizing a more inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.

Digital literacy will also become a part of ASEAN’s target in the form of the Digital Economy Framework, which is expected to be encouraged through Indonesia’s leadership of ASEAN in 2023, Hartarto said.

Source: Antara News