Author: admin

Meanwhile, some ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, are working hard to get out of the middle-income trap. Thus, we need a new engine for economic growth. Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy for Economic Affairs of the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Amalia Adninggar Widyasanti invited ASEAN member countries to optimize the blue economy as a new driver for growth to improve regional economic security.”We need high economic growth in a sustainable and inclusive way,” she told participants of theMulti-Stakeholder Dialogue on the Development of the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework in Belitung District, Bangka Belitung Islands Province, as monitored virtually from Jakarta on Wednesday. The blue economy is one of the potentials that the ASEANmember countries can utilize together as a new source of growth for making their economy strong,Widyasanti stated. She noted that currently, ASEAN’s economic growth is on a downward trend, so the region needs a new growth driver. Moreover, most ASEAN member countries seek to advance, from being lower-middle income nations to become upper middle-income countries, the deputy remarked. “Meanwhile, some ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, are working hard to get out of the middle-income trap. Thus, we need a new engine for economic growth,” she remarked. Hence, she assessed that it is crucial to develop the blue economy, considering the vast marine resource potentials. Widyasanti noted that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projects that the added value of marine resources will reach around US$30 trillion by 2030. However, the blue economy potentials had yet to be fully explored, including in the ASEAN region, she pointed out. “(By optimizing marine resources), we will not only strengthen the economy but we can also unlock our economic potential and achieve high growth in the future,” she stated. The deputy remarked that “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth” was selected as the theme of Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2023 since the region had various advantages to become the anchor of global stability and the center of global growth in the future. “ASEAN actually has (many) potentials for (regional) development. Thus, we need to collaborate and work together to optimize our economic potentials. I want to reemphasize that the blue economy truly has the potential (to serve as a new driver) for economic growth,” she added. baca-jugaRelated news: Indonesia invites ASEAN nations to overcome maritime challengesRelated news: Indonesia, Seychelles intensify collaboration to support blue economy

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani called on 264 Public Service Agencies (BLUs) to properly manage assets across Indonesia worth Rp1,170 trillion to ensure that their value does not decrease.”Do not allow the assets to sit idle. They have to work,” Sri Mulyani stated at the 2023 BLU Coordination Meeting that was monitored online in Jakarta, Thursday. Thus, productive and commercial asset management should still be conducted through the application of good governance guidelines. To this end, BLU managers and supervisory boards should continue to think creatively, be innovative, and work hard to improve or add to the services of an asset rather than burdening the community. Moreover, currently, increasingly more number of BLUs have assets in strategic locations, such as in the middle of a crowd or city. ccording to the minister, this can be used, so that BLUs do not only depend on the injections of the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN). “Hence, the income received can be used to improve services. If the BLU takes the form of a hospital, it can be used to invest in medical devices, services, or even honorariums for all workers,” she remarked. The Ministry of Finance noted that through asset management, BLUs in 2022 had contributed Rp89.5 trillion to non-tax state revenue (PNBP). This figure exceeded the target of Rp78.8 trillion, or reached 113.57 percent. baca-jugaRelated news: BLU performance must be linked with development goal: Finance MinisterRelated news: Ministry applies risk management to prevent fraud in IKN development

Source: Antara News Agency

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) – The joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team is searching for an unnamed motorboat, carrying seven passengers, that reportedly sank due to high waves in the waters of Pungu Besar Island, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara.Head of the Maumere City SAR Office Mexianus Bekabel stated on Thursday that a joint team in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, had headed to the accident site to conduct its operations to rescue the passengers. During its journey to Seraya Island, the unnamed motorboat sank on Thursday at 11:40 a.m. local time, about 5.61 nautical miles from Labuan Bajo Port on the western tip of Flores Island, according to Bekabel. The unnamed motorboat was an inter-island passenger vessel serving the Labuan Bajo-Seraya route. “The SAR team has headed to the incident site to carry out rescue and search operations for the passengers. This operation was carried out after coordinating with the potential SAR (team) in the area to conduct the operation jointly,” Bekabel, who serves as the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC), remarked. The joint team included five personnel from the Maumere SAR office, two from the West Manggarai SAR Post, one from the West Manggarai harbormaster’s office, one personnel from the Navy, and one from the Labuan Bajo Water Police. Earlier, on February 28, the Kupang Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had warned residents of the potential for high waves in parts of the East Nusa Tenggara sea area over the next few days. “Waves, with a height of 1.25-5 meters, or medium category, and 2.5 to four meters, or the high category, can potentially arise in most sea areas in the province, which should be watched out for (especially) sailing ships,” Head of the Maritime Meteorological Station of BMKG Tenau Kupang Syaeful Hadi explained. baca-jugaRelated news: Six sailors rescued by tuna fishing vessel arrive at Timika

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) called on the regional government to include disaster risk in their development plans to detect which disaster-prone locations should not become investment targets.”The regional government must include disaster risk in its development and investment plan,” he noted while opening the 2023 National Coordination Meeting on Disaster Mitigation in Jakarta, Thursday. By including disaster risk in the development plans, transparent information will be available on locations that can be used for development, he remarked. This effort will also help officers in the field to take action on developments that violate regional spatial plans and have a high likelihood to increase disaster, the president remarked. “The officers should be able to strictly prohibit construction in the landslide-prone area,” he stated. Jokowi spoke of having often noticed buildings near the river despite the location being a flood-prone area. “It is obvious that there is a river in the area, but people keep building houses in the riverbank area that is prone to floods. This is what I often see,” he stated. baca-jugaRelated news: Spatial planning becomes crucial in disaster risk areas: Ministry Hence, the head of state also urged the regional government, through the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), to oversee the implementation of development. “Bappeda must be able to manage regional planning. However, sometimes, the planning and implementation are different in the field. That is our weakness,” he emphasized. On the occasion, he also cautioned the regional government regarding the regulation complexity for social assistance disbursal when a disaster occurs. “Usually, the assistance is piled up at the command post or at the village office. The people affected are only able to see it. Please simplify the distribution method during a disaster,” he emphasized. ttendees at the 2023 National Coordination Meeting on Disaster Mitigation were ministers from the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet; regional heads and elements of the regional government; Commander of the Indonesia Defense Forces (TNI), Admiral Yudo Margono; National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo; Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Lieutenant General Suharyanto; and other relevant officials. baca-jugaRelated news: Indonesia needs regional-based disaster resilience system: Bappenas Related news: BNPB spotlights importance of localization in disaster risk reduction

Source: Antara News Agency

Pangkalpinang (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) of Indonesia has assessed that PT Timah Tbk succeeded in conducting rehabilitation of the Tuing watershed in Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands.The state-owned tin company had planted trees for rehabilitation of the Tuing watershed covering an area of 197.7 hectares, with a success rate of 89.95 percent, Director General of Watershed Management and Forest Rehabilitation of KLHK Dyah Murtiningsih noted in a press statement received here, Thursday. She remarked that rehabilitation of the watershed is an obligation of Borrow-to-Use Forest Area Permit (IPPKH) owners and Timah, as the holder of IPPKH, to hand over the results of rehabilitation of the Tuing Watershed in Bangka Regency by planting pelawan, cajuput, cashew, ketapang, sea cypress, and mango. Watershed rehabilitation is an effort to protect forest ecosystems. It also aims to support the government’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and towards achieving net zero emissions by 2060. “Rehabilitation activities are not only for ecological purposes but must also be balanced with the ecological function of restoring forest areas and ecosystems in addition to providing economic benefits to the people in forest areas,” she stated. She also lauded IPPKH holders that had fulfilled their obligations to conduct watershed rehabilitation. In future, she expressed optimism that the forest that had been planted would be maintained together. “Thank you for carrying out your obligations, and there are still several companies that have not completed their obligations. The forest is sustainable, the ecosystem is back again, and the people around the forest are also happy because they are involved and have an economic impact on the community,” she stated. eneral Manager of Timah Ahmad Syamhadi remarked that his company planted trees for watershed rehabilitation spanning an area of 197.7 hectares, with a success rate of 89.9 percent. “The success rate of 89.9 percent in planting for watershed restoration is considered very good,” he stated. He elaborated that the Ministerial Regulations of Environment and Forestry (Permen LHK) Number P.5 2019 stipulates that the success rate in growing plants of at least 75 percent from the initial planting is considered to be quite good. “The success in planting under the framework of the obligation to rehabilitate the watershed is evaluated in an integrated manner by an assessment team consisting of elements from the Watershed and Protected Forest Management Office, the Provincial Service in charge of Forestry, and area stakeholders/managers,” he stated. baca-jugaRelated news: New tin smelter reflects govt’s seriousness in downstreaming: JokowiRelated news: PT Timah plants 4,600 mangrove seeds on Belolaut coast

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto has met with Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security of Singapore, Teo Chee Hean, in Jakarta to discuss strengthening digital economic cooperation between the two countries.Indonesia and Singapore agreed to strengthen cooperation in the digital economy, especially for the development of human resources, through the Tech Talents Program. Hartarto said that development of the quality of human resources is a supporting factor in increasing a country’s competitive capabilities. “The Tech Talents program that is being discussed by the two countries can be developed for mutual benefit for young technological talents as well as the industries and ecosystems of the two countries,” he noted in a statement received here on Thursday. Hartarto also highlighted the government’s steadfast commitment to developing the digital economy through various efforts, such as the establishment of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework under Indonesia’s Chair of ASEAN in 2023. “Development of the national digital economy is also supported by efforts to improve the quality of human resources, build technological supporting infrastructure, such as data centers, and increase e-government programs,” he stated. During the meeting on Wednesday, the two ministers also discussed development of the manufacturing industry in Indonesia, especially in the automotive sector, where Indonesia has a large production capacity and has exported automotives with high local content. In this automotive sector, Indonesia also opens opportunities for the development of electric vehicles. During the meeting, Hartarto stated that Indonesia is open to foreign investment for the development of green technology, especially to achieve its net zero emission target in 2060 and to open the widest possible employment opportunities in the country. baca-jugaRelated news: Minister supports strengthening Indonesia-Singapore defense coopRelated news: Fully support Indonesia-Singapore military cooperation: Subianto

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, appealed to local governments to continue to strengthen specific interventions to prevent and handle stunting cases.”The local government must continue to strengthen and carry out specific interventions for handling stunting,” he noted in Jakarta, Thursday. The minister affirmed that specific interventions are activities conducted to tackle the direct causes of stunting. Specific interventions include increasing the consumption of iron tablets for teenage girls and pregnant women and ensuring the distribution of the tablets to schools and Islamic boarding schools, he stated. He remarked that interventions also include increasing the coverage of exclusive breastfeeding for babies and strengthening family and health worker support for exclusive breastfeeding. “The local government must also issue regional policies to increase the coverage of exclusive breastfeeding and intensify education on an ongoing basis,” he emphasized. Moreover, regional governments should collect data on the ownership of ultrasound and anthropometric devices to support stunting handling, he added. If regions are lacking those two devices, then they can propose to the Health Ministry for procurement, Effendy stated. The subsequent intervention is strengthening the role of integrated health posts (posyandu) to support stunting prevention. “Increasing the dissemination of information regarding the importance of fulfilling nutrition for pregnant women and toddlers, especially foods that are rich in animal protein, is very important,” he remarked. part from specific interventions, regional governments also need to strengthen sensitive interventions in the form of activities conducted to address the indirect causes of stunting. “Sensitive interventions, for example, are the provision of clean water, drinking water, sanitation, and environmental improvement,” he stated. He appealed to local governments that still need assistance from the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry to immediately submit the proposal to the ministry to receive assistance in the form of clean water program, sanitation, and repairing latrines. The prevalence of stunting in Indonesia, based on the Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI), reached 21.6 percent in 2022. “The government is targeting the prevalence of stunting to drop to 14 percent in 2024,” he stated. baca-jugaRelated news: Bolster pregnant women’s nutrition, Anas tells local govts in NTBRelated news: Preventing stunting should be optimized during pregnancy: expert staff

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs has asked ASEAN countries to overcome various political and socio economic challenges in the maritime sector, including transnational crime, inadequate financial and technological capacity, climate change, overfishing, and pollution. “In the Southeast Asia (ASEAN) and Indo-Pacific regions, the ocean has great economic value and has increasingly been considered as a potential area for (economic) development,” deputy for the coordination of international economic cooperation at the coordinating ministry, Edi Prio Pambudi, said. t a “Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on the Development of the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework” in Belitung district, Bangka Belitung Islands province, on Wednesday, he noted that the value of goods and services in the maritime sector is projected to reach US$2.5 trillion. “Meanwhile, the market value of marine and coastal resources reaches US$3 trillion per year, or contributes to 5 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP),” he said. The deputy noted that marine resources, which are a part of the blue economy, can benefit the development of various sectors, such as biotechnology, energy, fisheries, tourism, and transportation. “Recognizing the importance of the blue economy for (the advancement of) the regional economy and the challenges which must be faced, the ASEAN leaders agreed at the 38th ASEAN Summit in 2021 to adopt a declaration on blue economy (development),” he stated. Through the declaration, the ASEAN member countries have committed to look for ways to use marine resources in a sustainable and inclusive way, he added. “We must bolster the financing for sustainable economic development in the region and support the sustainability of the ASEAN Economic Community initiatives,” Pambudi, who also serves as the chair of the High-Level Task Force on Economic Integration (HLTF EI) on ASEAN, said. He noted that the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework was established in line with the “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP),” which helped to strengthen regional cooperation and sustainable maritime development, while maintaining ASEAN’s position in facing the Indo-Pacific and global dynamics. “Our initiatives in the Indo-Pacific must be in line with AOIP, including the (development of) blue economy, which is expected to attract external interests as it develops (further),” he added. Furthermore, the deputy said that Belitung Island was chosen to host the “Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on the Development of the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework” because the development of the island has demonstrated the balance between development and sustainability, in keeping with the ASEAN framework. He noted that the island is a mining location for various mineral resources, such as rare-earth elements, metals, and silica. However, it has a very low pollution index and has managed to develop the Belitong UNESCO Global Geopark. Indonesia is holding the chairmanship of ASEAN from January 1 to December 31, 2023. baca-jugaRelated news: European Union supports ASEAN to overcome Myanmar crisisRelated news: Indonesia invites Canada to develop EV ecosystem in ASEAN

Source: Antara News Agency