VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

As part of Australia’s ongoing commitment to build strong people-to-people and institutional links with Indonesia, the Foreign Ministry of Australia announced that 13 recipients will share in $460,000 through the 2021-22 Australia-Indonesia Institute grants program.

"These grants will strengthen cooperation between our two countries in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of their shared commitment to regional recovery," Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne stated in a release on Wednesday.

Successful projects includes development of an online teaching resources pack for Indonesian language teachers in Australia (Australia Indonesia Connections), a collaborative online education program for Australian and Indonesian paediatricians to improve health outcomes for children (Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network), and development of an ‘Australia-Indonesia Business Resilience Hub’ to encourage economic recovery and adaptation for small and medium enterprises when responding to disasters (University of Queensland).

Also a training program to build local capacity in renewable energy technology on Sumba island, developing social media campaigns and guidelines around mental health in Australia and Indonesia in the wake of the pandemic (University of Sydney), and online tourism training for Indonesian community leaders, including women entrepreneurs, to improve digital business skills and create partnerships between Australian and Indonesian bush/forest food businesses (University of South Australia). (VOI)

Indonesia can achieve net-zero emissions only with the involvement of the forestry and land-use sectors, environmental economics research head at University of Indonesia's Institute for Economic and Social Research, Alin Halimatussadiah, has said.

"It is impossible to achieve net-zero emissions if the forestry and land-use sectors are not properly regulated because if the sector is not improving despite maximum effort on our energy sector, the net-zero emissions goal would not be achieved," she affirmed during a webinar on Indonesia's biofuel policy, accessed from Jakarta on Tuesday.

The achievement of the B50 biodiesel goal must be done carefully to prevent a crude palm oil supply deficit that might induce the palm oil industry to expand plantations that could damage more forests, the researcher said.

The government and industry actors could increase palm oil production by rejuvenating existing palm plantations and targeting to cover around 180 thousand hectares of palm plantations every year, she added.

"We are currently engaged in a study to reuse cooking oil used by the restaurant industry as bio-diesel compound," Halimatussadiah informed.

Maximizing palm oil supply from existing plantations without sacrificing natural forests has become more urgent, as the government is targeting 46-percent national biofuel utilization by 2050, she said.

Apart from boosting palm oil production, the government must also encourage more research on biofuel compound alternatives besides palm oil, Halimatussadiah added.

"Utilizing bio-fuel is a must to achieve zero carbon emissions because not all transportation modes can be converted to electric," she explained.

The government must also commit to achieving zero deforestation by 2030 to complement the country's mission to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 and contribute to the global effort for tackling the climate crisis, she added. (Antaranews)

The Bali Tourism Office has tightened CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety & Environment Sustainability) protocols in 94 tourist attractions as part of preparations for welcoming domestic and international tourists during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The Bali Tourism Office has prepared standard operating procedures (SOP) to handle tourists in a number of tourism object areas in the province, acting head of the office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, said in Denpasar, Tuesday.

"The SOPs for foreign tourists when they arrive in Bali include checking of travel documents, vaccine certificates, undergoing PCR testing, then the foreign tourists will be taken to the hotel to isolate," he informed.

Pemayun said his office has tightened the CHSE protocols in 94 tourism attractions that hold CHSE certification in a bid to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

"The tightening of CHSE protocols in tourist attractions starts from the entrance gate: officers prepare hand washing equipment, body temperature checks for tourists, then tourists are required to scan the QR code for the PeduliLindungi application that has been installed at the tourist attraction," he expounded.

Serious efforts need to be made to achieve sustainable and quality cultural tourism in Bali, which was hit hard by the pandemic, Pemayun said.

"Building Balinese cultural tourism is like building a house with five pillars: academia, business, community, government, and media. These five pillars support each other and have the same goal for our progress together. That way, Bali tourism will definitely become strong, sturdy; and, of course, quality and sustainable tourism will be realized," he remarked.

To boost tourist arrivals, the Bali government has proposed that travelers from five additional countries—Australia, the United States, Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom—be allowed to enter Indonesia, especially Bali. The Indonesian government has so far opened entry to tourists from 19 countries. (Antaranews)

The World Superbike Championship (WSBK) is the most effective tool for promoting Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), as a top-quality tourist destination, the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment  has said.

"The WSBK is not just a one-off exercise, but it will be carried out continuously. The championship is an effective tool to promote tourism in the Mandalika area," the ministry's deputy of tourism and creative economy coordination, Odo R.M Manuhutu, said during an online discussion on Tuesday.

The Pertamina Mandalika Circuit will create a number of multiplier effects, both direct and indirect, most importantly in job creation, he added.

The key factor in Mandalika development is to bring benefit to the surrounding community and ensure micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) earn more income through the tourist destination, he said.

"Thank you to NTB Governor and other stakeholders who have facilitated more than 200 MSMEs participating in the event. Hopefully, these MSMEs will be able to accommodate the needs of WSBK's spectators," he added.

He also thanked the community and local government for their support for the 2021 WSBK.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Mandalika International Circuit in Central Lombok district, NTB on November 12 this year.

At the inauguration, the President noted that the 4.3-kilometer Mandalika Circuit will host the World Superbike (WSBK) event on November 19–21, 2021 and MotoGP in March 2022.

He said he hopes the racing circuit will bring benefit and recover the economy in NTB, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President also said he believes that international sports events such as World Superbike and MotoGP will have a significant impact on economic growth in the region.

He also inaugurated the 17.3-km-long and 50-m wide Bypass Road that connected Lombok International Airport (BIL) to Mandalika.  (Antaranews)