VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology stated that Indonesia has extensive cultural cooperation with ASEAN countries, including in the exchange of data and artworks.

The ministry's Director General of Culture, Hilmar Farid, stated that data exchange with ASEAN countries would allow each member to identify and compare cultural heritages in the region.

"Within the ASEAN framework, there is data about heritage. The cultural heritage data from all ASEAN members are unified to allow us to see any similarities and differences," Farid stated here on Tuesday.

He noted that apart from data exchange, other forms of cultural cooperation among ASEAN countries include artwork exchange and capacity and technological development collaboration.

"So far, with Singapore, we are mostly (engaging) in bilateral cooperation, but we also conduct exchange when they borrow our National Gallery artwork. Meanwhile, we have also engaged in capacity development (cooperation) with the Philippines," he expounded.

Earlier, the director general received Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the National Museum here. The royal couple was keen to gain a broad understanding of Indonesian culture.

"The emperor's visit is a special occasion for us, and it shows that the visit is not merely about the economy or geopolitical cooperation in the region but is also about the culture," Farid stated.

He highlighted that Indonesia has engaged in cultural cooperation with Japan, including through the use of technology to compile cultural data.

"The project is, more or less, to gather all data about cultural heritages," the director general noted.

During the visit to the National Museum, the emperor expressed interest in the history of Indonesia's water irrigation system depicted in the Tugu, Harinjing, and Palepangan inscriptions, all being the museum's collections. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia's government supports adoption of the Agreement on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) that will accelerate marine environment conservation and restoration of the sea for the future of mankind.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, as director of the Indonesian delegation in negotiating the BBNJ agreement, welcomed the adoption of the BBNJ agreement text as an international legal instrument.

"Indonesia's (National Team) has played an active and strategic role in the negotiations, but it is more important to use this instrument (the BBNJ agreement) for the benefit of Indonesia," Pandjaitan noted in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Biotechnology will be a driving force for the medical industry and strategic technology in the future. Indonesia must not be left behind. "We must 'take action' now," he said.

The Indonesian government fully supports the adoption of the BBNJ agreement that has been officially adopted by consensus by 193 UN member states at the UN headquarters in New York, the US, on Monday (June 19).

The BBNJ Agreement is a new agreement under UNCLOS to regulate the protection and utilization of genetic resources in the international sea.

Permanent Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia to the UN in New York Ambassador Armanatha C. Nasir emphasized the strategic role of Indonesia and other developing countries in implementing contents of the BBNJ agreement.

In a national statement delivered at the BBNJ agreement adoption session, Ambassador Nasir emphasized that the BBNJ agreement enhances the strategic role of developing countries.

"Capacity building, as an important element in the implementation of the BBNJ agreement, should be able to encourage developing countries to be more actively involved in the conservation and utilization of genetic resources in the sea, especially outside national jurisdiction," he said.

"Indonesia is committed to participating in collaborating to increase our understanding regarding biological resources in the high seas and is ready to collaborate in increasing capacity for the common good," he stated while representing Indonesia at the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the BBNJ.

The Indonesian National Team comprises negotiators from the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Environment and Forestry Ministry, Permanent Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia in New York and several experts from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), as well as the Hydrographic Center and Oceanography of the Indonesian Navy.

They have fought for the interests of Indonesia and developing countries in the sustainable use of genetic resources in the international seas.

The Indonesia National Team is also actively pushing for biotechnology to become an integral aspect of technology transfer to developing countries.

In addition to fighting for equal opportunities for developing countries, Indonesia has succeeded in ensuring that the largest genetic resource in the sea, namely fish used in biotechnology activities, is not excluded from the benefit-sharing regime for all countries, especially developing nations.

Indonesia also persistently ensures that its position, as an archipelagic country directly adjacent to the high seas, is not excluded from the consultation process for the implementation of activities in the high seas.

Indonesia strongly opposes the implementation of activities in the high seas that are irresponsible and not consultative with countries around the location where activities are conducted in the high seas.

Indonesia's leadership in the context of the role of island and archipelagic countries is also carried out by ensuring affirmative policies for the representation of island and archipelago country experts in institutional schemes and capacity building of the BBNJ agreement, including the scientific and technical body (STB).

Coordinating Deputy for Maritime Sovereignty and Energy of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment Jodi Mahardi, as leader of the Indonesian delegation at the 5th Resumed Session IGC-BBNJ, expressed optimism that the momentum of adopting the BBNJ agreement will become a stepping stone in strengthening Indonesia's maritime diplomacy and accelerating development of the biotechnology industry in Indonesia.

Mahardi also requested that the solidity and persistence of the Indonesian National Team in negotiations continue through a measurable action plan for implementation.

“Our homework is increasing. I hope this (BBNJ national team) solidity is maintained. In three months, we must be able to compile measurable implementation of regulations, research, involvement of the business sector, and diplomacy," Mahardi affirmed. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - National Police (Polri) Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo highlighted the human trafficking issue at the 23rd ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

He said that the discussion regarding the issue was in line with the commitment to eradicating human trafficking made by the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the 42nd ASEAN Summit last month.

"Human trafficking cases have become an international concern. It is one of the serious matters discussed in the SOMTC," he added.

The Polri chief said he expects the results of the discussion on the issue during the meeting to produce a policy that can protect Indonesian people from falling victim to human trafficking in the future.

He emphasized that international cooperation for eradicating the crime should not only concern exchanging information, but also improving law enforcement collaboration to arrest perpetrators.

Better cooperation could also help save the victims and return them to their country of origin, he added.

Prabowo also appealed to people who wish to work abroad to get employment through an official and registered Indonesian migrant worker placement company.

He also ordered his ranks to take firm action against anyone involved in human trafficking, even if the perpetrator is a police officer.

Indonesia is leading the 23rd SOMTC, which is being held in Yogyakarta from June 20–24, 2023, as part of its chairmanship of ASEAN this year.

SOMTC is an institutional framework assisting the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) to initiate, coordinate, and implement strategies and programs for preventing and combating transnational crimes.

"It is an important meeting for Polri, especially to talk more seriously about some issues which we have been discussing so far," the Polri chief stated.

In the previous year, SOMTC meetings were held virtually due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Thus, Prabowo said he expects that the attendance of the delegates in person to discuss various transnational crime-related issues at SOMTC this year would help generate concrete cooperation, especially regarding law enforcement.

"Because, so far, the problem (in eradicating transnational crimes) is when the perpetrators flee abroad, we (law enforcement institutions) often need to go through difficult bureaucracies (to arrest the perpetrators),” he added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia Cyber Education (ICE) Institute has collaborated with China's Tsinghua University to provide its students and the people at large in Indonesia with free access to quality distance learning materials.

"The ICE Institute has now collaborated with XuetangX.com that Tsinghua University initiated," Prof. Nizam, a top official at the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, noted in a statement here Tuesday.

As a result, Indonesia's university students could freely access course modules taught at Tsinghua University, Nizam, acting Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology at the ministry, remarked.

All course materials that ICE Institute provides can also be accessed by students and the public freely, he noted, adding that COVID-19 had taught academic communities about the need for online learning platforms.

One of the online learning platforms that can be accessed at any time and from anywhere is provided by ICE Institute, a platform jointly developed by Universitas Terbuka (UT) and 14 other universities in Indonesia, he stated.

The professor expects the collaboration between ICE Institute and XuetangX.com to provide the people at large in Indonesia with free access to quality distance learning materials.

Through ICE Institute, the universities' teaching staff remain able to guide their students and ensure that they really study, Nizam stated.

Rapid developments in technology occurring worldwide, including artificial intelligence (AI), pose challenges to humankind, but efforts need to be directed on how AI, for instance, can optimally be used for the greater good in education, he stated.

"How to optimize the use of AI for good intentions for humanity and not for destroying humankind," Nizam remarked.

Meanwhile, Universitas Terbuka Rector Prof. Ojat Darojat, said that ICE Institute has been working with XuetangX since 2022. Several collaborative activities include exchanging course materials, joint development of courses, exchange of experts, and joint training.

Director of Tsinghua University's Online Education Center Xiaoxiao Wang said Tsinghua's online learning platform has existed and got developed since a decade ago.

The distance learning that Indonesia's Universitas Terbuka (Open University) has developed is remarkable enough that it has attracted Tsinghua University to work together to make a joint online learning effort, Wang remarked.

The presence of Tsinghua's online learning platform has not merely been accessed by people in China but also in different parts of the world, Wang added. (Antaranews)