VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Government of Indonesia and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) confirmed stronger cooperation for the next four years on supporting food and agriculture development programs in Indonesia.

The development program was launched at the "Workshop of the Country Programming Framework" (CPF) in Bogor on Thursday (December 1), according to FAO Indonesia's statement  on Friday.

CPF is a planning and programming tool that translates the FAO Strategic Framework into actions in Indonesia during the 2021-2025 period.

The strategic document is conceived in close collaboration and partnership with the Government of Indonesia, and it aims to support the government's priorities, planning, implementation, and reporting vis-à-vis the 2030 Agenda.

The Ministry of Agriculture leads the implementation of CPF in Indonesia, coordinating and working closely together with other line ministries, agencies, and relevant stakeholders.

"CPF is set as the basis for FAO's country-level strategic priority and medium-term country-level programming. It defines the development priorities of Indonesia and FAO and contributes to national priorities, regional priorities, and corporate results," FAO Representative in Indonesia Rajendra Aryal stated.

Aryal explained that the CPF is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and Indonesia's National Medium-Term Development Plan.

"CPF also plays a key role as the vehicle for defining United Nations' contribution and commitment to support national efforts to achieve economic, social, and environmental targets to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Aryal further elaborated.

Under the CPF, there are nine FAO projects with the Ministry of Agriculture that are focused on various issues in the agricultural sector.

The issues include Agricultural Digitalization (e-Agriculture), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Emerging Zoonotic Diseases, African Swine Fever, disaster mitigation in livestock sector, Food Loss and Waste, urban food systems, and family farming.

"Through this CPF, I hope the cooperation between Indonesia and FAO can strengthen further to plan more with required flexibility. It must look at the current multidimensional challenges, such as the latest situation at the global level in terms of food security, Covid pandemic, and other emerging infectious diseases, and the impacts of climate change," Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture Kasdi Subagyono remarked.

"The CPF aligns with the priorities of the Government of Indonesia, and it will contribute to the achievement of national strategic goals," he added.

In Indonesia, the FAO has provided technical assistance to strengthen the national food and agriculture sector through over 650 collaborative projects and programs with the support of over 1,600 international and national experts and consultants. (antaranews)

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy has said that post-earthquake handling measures in Cianjur district, West Java, have continued to be accelerated simultaneously.

"Currently, the rehabilitation and reconstruction stages have been discussed because the handling is carried out simultaneously, starting from the emergency response stage to rehabilitation and reconstruction preparations," he informed after a ministerial coordination meeting on emergency handling after the Cianjur earthquake, which was followed online on Thursday.

According to Effendy, rehabilitation and reconstruction preparations are being carried out in accordance with President Joko Widodo's directions so that the handling of the Cianjur earthquake is carried out in parallel and simultaneously.

"Later, the rehabilitation and reconstruction stages do not need to wait for the completion of the overall disaster response stage," he said.

That step has been taken in a bid to make post-earthquake handling efforts effective, he added.

He further said that currently, the government is collecting data on houses that were damaged by the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Cianjur district on November 21, 2022.

He added that according to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as of November 30, as many as 17,864 damaged houses have been verified.

"The damaged houses that have been verified are 17,864 houses from all categories: severe damage, moderate damage, and light damage, including 190 places of worship, 14 health facilities, 511 education facilities, 17 office buildings, and 2 bridges," he expounded.

The minister informed that in the first phase, 8,341 houses will be reconstructed.

He also said that his ministry has inspected several affected areas, including Sarampad village in the Cugenang sub-district.

Based on the inspection, he assured that residents had received logistics assistance such as staple goods packages, family hygiene packages, family tents, blankets, and mattresses for sleeping.

Effendy added that his ministry also checked several residential buildings that were severely damaged, including schools, mosques, and Islamic schools (madrasas). (antaranews)

Japan has told China and Russia it has "severe concerns" over their frequent joint air force activities around Japan's territory, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Thursday.

"We will closely monitor the increasing cooperation between the two countries with a sense of concern," Matsuno, Japan's top government spokesperson, told a regular press conference, adding that Japan would "decisively protect" its territories.

The Russian defence ministry on Wednesday announced its military and Chinese counterpart conducted joint patrols of strategic warplanes over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea. (reuters)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat began voting on Thursday with his Hindu nationalist party expected to win a seventh straight term, but any unexpected slip could herald a tighter contest in national polls due by 2024.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not lost in the western industrial state since 1995 and Modi served as its chief minister for nearly 13 years before becoming prime minister in 2014 after trouncing the Congress party.

Opinion polls conducted in the lead-up to the Gujarat polls projected the BJP to comfortably retain power in the state.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was formed only a decade ago and has claimed power in Delhi and the state of Punjab, is set to become one of the main opposition parties in Gujarat at the expense of Congress.

Early on Thursday, voters in Surat, the state's second largest city and a diamond cutting and polishing hub, lined up to cast their ballot in the first of the two-phase election.

The city is expected to witness a three-way contest with Congress and AAP also looking to make inroads in the BJP bastion. The second phase of voting is on Monday and results are due on Dec. 8.

In the last state election five years ago, the BJP won 99 seats in the 182-member assembly while Congress got 77.

The BJP is expected to win between 131 to 139 seats this time, ABP-CVoter projected in November. Congress could win 31 to 39 seats while the Aam Aadmi Party could bag up to 15.

According to India TV-Matrize opinion poll, also conducted in November, the BJP may win up to 119 seats.

Modi remains popular in many parts of the country despite criticism of inflation and unemployment, and his party also expects to emerge victorious in state assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh in the north, which were held last month with results to be declared on Dec. 8.

AAP has promised voters subsidies on electricity and other bills in their bid to become the main challenger to the BJP.

Congress, on the other hand, launched a cross-country march in September against what it calls "hate and division", hoping to revive its fortunes and regain some popularity. (reuters)