FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP DURING PANDEMIC TO TAKE WIDODO TO THREE NATIONS by Fardah

 

Jakarta, Oct 30, 2021 (Antara) A special Garuda Indonesia airplane, GIA-1, departed for Rome, Italy on October 29, 2021 with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and his entourage on board, marking the start of his three-nation working visit.

Widodo's trip—which is his first since the pandemic began in 2019 and has come at a time when COVID-19 transmission has begun to slow in many countries, including Indonesia—will take him to Italy for the G20 Summit, Great Britain for COP26, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is an important business partner for Indonesia.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung are accompanying the President on the trip.

G20

Currently, Widodo is in Rome for the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders' Meeting, scheduled for October 30-31, 2021. He will take over the grouping’s Presidency from Italy at the meeting. 

The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is a permanent guest.

Indonesia will hold the Presidency of the G20, which represents 85 percent of the global economy and 75 percent of the global trade, from December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022. The theme for Indonesia's Presidency is “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”.

He has also been invited to deliver a speech on women’s engagement in micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) at the meeting.

Preserving Indonesia's mangroves to nurture blue carbon potential by Fardah

 Jakarta , Oct 27, 2021 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has set an ambitious target of restoring 600 thousand hectares of mangrove forests across the country by 2024.

The world’s largest archipelagic country sees the preservation of mangrove forests as crucial because of their role in providing habitats for aquatic and terrestrial fauna and flora, protection from strong winds and waves, soil stabilization and erosion prevention, nutrient retention and water quality improvement through filtration of sediments and pollutants, flood mitigation, sequestration of carbon dioxide, and protection of associated marine ecosystems.

As high carbon storage ecosystems, mangrove and peatland ecosystems play a strategic role as nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Peatlands and mangroves store up to 2 to 10 times more carbon than forests.

Given the significant role of mangrove and peatland ecosystems, the government has recently converted the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) into Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM).

Mangroves, however, have been disappearing more quickly than inland tropical rainforests, particularly due to clear-cutting for shrimp farms.

The loss of mangroves has led to a decline in fisheries, degradation of clean water supply, salinization of coastal soils, erosion and land subsidence, as well as an increase in gas emissions, among other things.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), while visiting Tana Tidung district, North Kalimantan province, on October 19, 2021 had revealed that the country’s existing mangrove forests covered a total area of 3.6 million hectares.

Rehabilitation efforts are being undertaken to protect coastal areas from sea waves, seawater intrusion, and preserve the habitat of species, including birds, fishes, crabs, monkeys, and other flora and fauna, living in and around the mangrove forests, according to him.

Accompanied by several foreign ambassadors, Widodo planted mangrove trees in North Kalimantan as part of the mangrove restoration program.

The program’s funds were derived from various sources, including state and regional budgets, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs of private and state-owned companies, and the community in general, he noted.

BALI PREPARES TO WELCOME TOURISTS AS COVID CASES DECLINE by Fardah

 Jakarta, 20/10/2021 (ANTARA) - Indonesia has seen a drastic slump in COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks, which has triggered optimism of tourism reopening, particularly in Bali, one of the most famous tourist resorts globally.

Indonesia added 903 daily COVID-19 cases on October 19, 2021, bringing the total tally to 4,236,287, the Task Force for COVID-19 Response reported. Meanwhile, it recorded 50 daily deaths, bringing the total toll to 143,049, it added.

The nation has recorded a total of 4,076,541 COVID-19 recoveries so far, as per task force data.

Despite the significant fall in the number of COVID-19 cases, the government is still urging the public to remain disciplined in implementing the health protocols by wearing face masks, washing hands frequently, and keeping a safe distance.

The authorities have also maintained the frequency of 3Ts (testing, tracing, and treatment) to prevent virus spread.

In view of the decline in cases, the government reopened the provinces of Bali and Riau Islands, which shares a maritime border with Singapore, to foreign tourists on October 14, 2021.

The government has said it will consider reopening other tourist destinations to foreign tourists if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline and the handling of the pandemic keeps improving.

NORMAL LIFE BEGINS TO RETURN, BUT WITH CAVEATS by Fardah

Jakarta, 13/10/2021 (ANTARA) - With COVID-19 infections brought under control, over the last couple of weeks, the life of Indonesians has slowly begun to return to normalcy.

Tourist attractions, restaurants, places of worship, and amusement centers are reopening under strict health protocol measures.

Wedding receptions, religious events, sports matches, concerts, festivals, conferences, exhibitions are being held, albeit with several restrictions to check COVID-19 spread.

While deciding on allowing large-scale events, the government has considered many factors, such as the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients, vaccination rate, intensified 3Ts (testing, tracing, and treatment), and a significant drop in COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths.

"We should be grateful the current pandemic in Indonesia is getting under control. National COVID-19 data as of October 10, 2021 shows confirmed cases from 34 provinces, or 514 districts and cities, were below one thousand894 people to be exact," Dr. Reisa Broto Asmoro, spokesperson for national COVID-19 handling and behavior change ambassador, explained.

The nation recorded 1,233 daily confirmed COVID-19 cases, 48 deaths, and 2,259 recoveries on October 13, 2021, bringing the total COVID-19 cases so far to 4,231,046, deaths to 142,881, and recoveries to 4,067,684.

The daily confirmed cases showed a significant drop compared to 56,757 on July 15, 2021. The highest daily deaths were recorded at 2,069 on July 27, 2021 when the country was battling the second COVID-19 wave that was triggered by the Delta variant.

"Of course, this is all due to the hard work of all parties, both the government through its 3T, or testing, tracing and treatment, efforts, as well as expanding vaccination rate and coverage, and the public adherence to health protocols and the government's vaccination program," Dr. Asmoro said.

Based on data from the website asia.nikkei.com, as of September 30, 2021, the COVID-19 recovery index in Indonesia has increased, making it the leading country in terms of the recovery rate (54.5 percent) in Southeast Asia.

PON CONTINUES WITH STRICTER HEALTH PROTOCOLS AFTER COVID CASES EMERGE by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 12/10/2021 (ANTARA) - The Papuans have enthusiastically welcomed the 20th National Sports Week (PON), Indonesia's largest sports event, by following strict health protocol measures against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The PON, which is being held in the country's easternmost province till October 15, 2021, has drawn 6,400 athletes and 3,500 officials from 34 provinces across Indonesia.

It was officially opened by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at Lukas Enembe Stadium, East Sentani sub-district, Jayapura district, Papua, on October 2.

"Huwe foi, onomi rehmay, wa wa wa. Cheers to sports!" the President greeted spectators in the native language of Papua at the opening ceremony and garnered resounding applause from the audience, whose numbers were restricted to 25 percent of the stadium's total capacity of 40 thousand people.

Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke are co-hosting matches of the first-ever PON organized in Papua Province that is featuring 37 sports branches.

PON Papua has enforced strict health protocols for athletes and those involved in the games from the time of their landing in the province, with each participant required to undergo PCR tests for COVID-19.

On October 9, 2021, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Zainudin Amali confirmed that the PON has been running smoothly despite the emergence of several COVID-19 cases.

"The situation is quite safe in the four clusters. The event will not be halted as there are no major problems," he said.

All participants, including athletes, coaches, and officers are present at every designated match, with no fear or excessive concern, he added.

COVID-19 cases during PON were first detected in Timika and announced on October 5 evening.