Year Ender - 2013, HISTORICAL YEAR FOR INDONESIA'S FOREST PROTECTION by Fardah

  Jakarta, Dec 31, 2013 (Antara) - During the past one year, the Indonesian government has made several historic policies and breakthroughs for the preservation of its forest, the world's third largest after the Amazon in Brazil and Congo's forest, if they are implemented properly.

          Indonesia has over the past year among other things established Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Agency;   extended forest moratorium for another two years to prevent new clearing of primary forests and peat lands; and signed the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade - Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT-VPA) with  (EU)  to fight illegal timber trade.

News Focus - EU-ASEAN TIES: SUPPORTING, SHARING AND INSPIRING by Fardah Assegaf

  Jakarta, Dec 31, 2013 (Antara) - The European Union (EU) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been working closely to strengthen the ASEAN-EU Partnership and to support ASEAN's goal of building ASEAN Community by 2015 and beyond.

        ASEAN and EU are both often seen as examples of two successful regional groups. However, ASEAN and the EU have very different historical backgrounds, development levels and perspectives as well as approaches on political, economic and security issues.

Year-Ender -INDONESIA'S REDD+ AGENCY SET TO BE IN FULL SWING by Fardah

    Jakarta, Dec 28, 2013 (Antara) - A new agency to protect Indonesia's rainforests is ready to begin work to implement a first of its kind environmental program.

         President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed Presidential Regulation No. 62/2013 on August 31, 2013, entitled Managing Body for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), concluding a process that took more than two years.

Year Ender: PEOPLE-CENTERED ASEAN - BETWEEN RHETORIC AND REALITY by Fardah Assegaf

    Jakarta, Dec 26, 2013 (Antara) - Over the last several years, ASEAN has proclaimed the rhetoric of becoming "people-oriented" or "people-centered" in a number of documents, speeches and meetings.

       After 46 years, ASEAN leaders have now started talking about shifting the focus from state-centric to people-centric activities that would benefit people in the regions. However, it seems like this realization and its implementations are rather slow.
  "I know only a little about ASEAN; it was from school. But, whether I have benefited from ASEAN, I don't know because it was not taught in school," stated Irma, 22, an Indonesian migrant worker who has been working in Singapore for the last two years.

INDONESIA'S POLICE, MILITARY PLEDGE NEUTRALITY AHEAD OF GENERAL ELECTIONS 2014 by Fardah

   Jakarta, Dec 25, 2013 (Antara) - Indonesia's security forces will play crucial roles in ensuring smooth, peaceful and fair implementation of direct general elections to elect president, vice president and legislators in 2014.

        Next year, legislative elections will be held on April 9, after a campaign period between January 11 and April 5, while the presidential election is expected to be held on July 9.

        The general elections will be organized by Indonesia's General Elections Commission (KPU) with the cooperation of institutions such as the General Elections Supervisory Body Bawaslu), the National Police and the Government Goods and Service Procurement Policy Agency (LKPP).

ARAB SPRING ADDS TO PALESTINIAN REFUGEES' SUFFERING by Fardah

    Jakarta, Dec 23, 2013 (Antara) - On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, commemorated on November 29, the Indonesian government reaffirmed its continued commitment to support the Palestinians in their struggle for independence.

         "For over six decades, the Palestinian occupation problem has remained unresolved. The Palestinian refugees have been living under distress for too long," the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry's Director of Socio-Cultural and International Organization of Developing Countries Arko Hananto Budiadi stated at the event observed in Jakarta, on November 28, 2013.