Year-Ender : PAST YEAR MARKED BY INTENSE RI-UNESCO ENGAGEMENT by Fardah

       Jakarta, Dec 31, 2011 (ANTARA) - The year 2011 has been quite special for Indonesia and UNESCO as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spoke at a UNESCO meeting in Paris, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova visited Indonesia, and Aceh`s Saman dance was recognized as a world cultural heritage.

      President Yudhoyono was invited to the special session of the 36th UNESCO General Conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the declaration of universal cultural diversity because UNESCO considered the country to be an example of cultural diversity that eventually became a source of strength.

Indonesia Demonstrates Continued Support For Palestine by Fardah

     Jakarta, Dec 31, 2011 (ANTARA News) - It might be a small step forward, but it`s a victory any way for Palestine which became a full member of UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) this year, while hoping to become a full member of the United Nations, and most of all an independent country, free from Israeli occupation.
     Indonesia was a co-sponsor of the Palestinian bid for UNESCO membership, as the nation also supported Palestine`s bid for UN membership in New York, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said in Paris on November 1, 2011.

Year-Ender: RI DEMONSTRATES STRONGER COMMITMENT TO NUKE-FREE WORLD by Fardah

      Jakarta, Dec 27, 2011 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when speaking at an International Defense Dialog in March 2011 said a real push towards nuclear disarmament by the nuclear powers has given a good reason for the world to be optimistic in looking at the future.

       This year, Indonesia has demonstrated a stronger commitment to promoting a peaceful world which is free from nuclear threats by ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Year-Ender: RELATIVELY CALM YEAR FOR DISASTER-PRONE RI by Fardah

         Jakarta, Dec 26, 2011 (ANTARA) - Thank God, this year Indonesia experienced fewer deadly natural disasters than in previous years like the 2004 devastating tsunami in Aceh, the powerful earthquakes in Padang and Mentawai, West Sumatra , in 2009 and 2010 respectively, the Wasior flood in Papua and Mount Merapi eruption in 2010.
       As a country located in the Pacific Ocean`s "Ring of Fire" of volcanoes and earthquakes, Indonesia is one of the world`s most disaster-prone countries.

Year-Ender: DAUNTING TASK OF PROTECTING MIGRANT WORKERS OVERSEAS by Fardah

    Jakarta, Dec 24, 2011 (ANTARA) - The year 2011 has been very busy year for Indonesian migrant workers and the government as well because of continuing problems such as ill treatments and legal problems, and the Arab Spring in particular.

     With almost five million Indonesians working overseas, the government has been forced to spend much energy, time and money on preparing policies and measures for their protection.

      Indonesia is one of the largest suppliers of migrant workers overseas such as in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, South Korea, and several countries experiencing Arab Spring uprising, like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria.

Year-Ender: RI GEARING UP FOR BIGGER ROLE IN UN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS by Fardah

      Jakarta, Dec 20, 2011 (ANTARA) - Indonesia which has been participating in UN peacekeeping missions since 1957, is now seeking a bigger role and wanting to be placed in the top ten contributors to the UN`s efforts to maintain peace in conflict-torn parts of the world.

       Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa in his annual statement in January 2011 stated the country`s commitment to contributing to world peacekeeping missions.
       "Indonesian diplomacy will continue showing Indonesia`s preparedness to increase its contribution to UN peacekeeping  missions to become one of the 10 biggest contributors to UN peace keeping forces," he said at the beginning of this year.

Since 1957 Indonesia has sent 24,284 military personnel to join UN peacekeeping missions in a number of countries: Egypt, Bosnia, Congo, Cambodia, Haiti and Lebanon.

In 2010, Indonesia sent some 1,785 military personnel to seven UN missions under its commitment to world peace maintenance, making it one of the top 20 countries sending peacekeeping forces.

Before this year ends, the government has realized its commitment by building an Indonesian Peace and Security Center (IPSC), which was inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Sentul, Bogor District, West Java Province, on December 19, 2011.

The 240-hectare IPSC facility includes a center to train and prepare military personnel for participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Year-Ender: MONTARA OIL SPILL VICTIMS STILL AWAITING PROMISED COMPENSATION by Fardah

     Jakarta, Dec 19, 2011 (ANTARA) - East Nusatenggara (NTT) fishermen who lost their livelihoods by the Montara oil spill in 2009 are still waiting for the promised compensations, two years after the disaster.
     An explosion that occurred in the Montara oil field on August 21, 2009 caused an oil pipe to burst and the resulting oil spill to contaminate the Timor Sea.

ARAB SPRING MAKES 2011 BUSY YEAR FOR INDONESIA by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 16, 2011 (ANTARA) - Geographically Indonesia is quite far from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen - Arab countries that experienced popular uprisings known as "Arab Spring" or "Arab Awakening".

But the fact that many Indonesian students and migrant workers were in those countries, has made the Indonesian government busy protecting and evacuating their citizens in those nations torn by political violence.

RI APPLAUDED FOR RATIFYING NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 8, 2011 (ANTARA) - Fifteen years after the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (cTBT) was opened for signature, Indonesia has finally agreed to ratify the treaty, a decision that has been applauded by world leaders who said it helped the world move closer to end nuclear tests.

"Indonesia has always vigorously supported the CTBT and was among the first to sign when the Treaty was opened for signature on 24 September 1996. However, as a matter of principle, it deferred the ratification process on the principle that states that possessed nuclear weapons should commit to the Treaty ahead of anyone else," the Indonesian foreign ministry said in a statement recently.

RI DELEGATION TO DURBAN BEARING NATIONAL, GLOBAL MISSIONS by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 6, 2011 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has sent a large delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Durban, South Africa and charged it with a national and global mission.

The first and most important mission was to seek opportunities and establish cooperation in environmental management beneficial to Indonesia.

Year-ender: DEFORESTATION MORATORIUM, REDD+ DECREES IN PLACE FOR FORESTS PRESERVATION by Fardah

      Jakarta, Dec 5, 2011 (ANTARA) - Hosting the world's third largest forest area, Indonesia  badly needs a legal basis to protect and preserve its remaining tropical forests that are often referred to  the "world's lung."
    Indonesia has a very high deforestation rate at 1.1 million hectares per year, and has been accused as the world's third-largest gas emitter.  

Year-Ender: INDONESIA SUCCESSFULLY TAKES ASEAN TO GREATER HEIGHT by Fardah

     Jakarta, Dec 3, 2011 (ANTARA)- When Indonesia assumed the ASEAN chairmanship in January 2011,  ASEAN Secretary General  Dr Surin Pitsuwan expressed optimism that the country could take ASEAN to a greater height.

"Indonesia has weight,  international legitimacy and  global appeal to draw tremendous support and attention from around the world to the ASEAN community building efforts that we are all engaging in now," Dr Surin said as quoted on the official website of the ASEAN Secretariat early this year.

BALI HOPING TO JOIN UNESCO'S WORLD HERITAGE LIST by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 2, 2011 (ANTARA) - Bali also known as the Island of Gods and the Island of A Thousand Temples, has very rich Hindu-predominantly traditions and culture.

Spiritual activities are reflected in every facet of life in Bali, which has a lot of traditional wisdom to offer to the world.