VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A screenshot of research director of the Indonesia Center of Reform on Economics (CORE), Piter Abdullah, speaking at a public discussion hosted by the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPC-PEN) in Jakarta on Friday (December 3, 2021). (ANTARA/Sanya Dinda) - 

The Presidency of the G20 will allow Indonesia to lead the discussion with agendas favorable to its interests, research director of the Indonesia Center of Reform on Economics (CORE), Piter Abdullah, has opined.

"By presiding over the G20, we could set the agenda for G20 meetings with themes that are suited most to our global economic interest, though this would not be an easy task," he said during a public discussion hosted by the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPC-PEN) in Jakarta on Friday.

Indonesia could also set agendas favorable to other countries, such as on the global healthcare architecture, digital economy, and new and renewable energies, he said.

Unlike the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank that regulate the global financial system, no such organization has been established for the global healthcare sector despite the sector being vital for economic development, he pointed out.

"I am relieved upon learning that our Health Minister is an economist; therefore, we could shift the paradigm that population well-being is not only a healthcare issue but also an economic issue," Abdullah remarked.

After striving to tackle the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, the country could utilize the G20 platform to discuss measures necessary to prevent the global economy from declining further, he said.

Indonesia's economy recorded a growth of minus 2.07 percent after the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, he noted.

"We could set the COVID-19 issue as part of our agenda. Besides benefiting the global community, the agenda will surely be advantageous for us," Abdullah said.

Indonesia will experience a hike in foreign tourist arrivals and revenue from the tourism industry as short-term benefits of its G20 Presidency, he informed.

"If we organize G20 meetings in one province, for instance, in Bali, I believe the province will be economically benefited by the events," the expert remarked//ANT

Indonesia received 324 thousand doses of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine from the Dutch government on Friday (December 3, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Shutterstock/rst) - 

Indonesia received 324 thousand doses of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson from the Dutch government as part of the 146th batch of vaccines to arrive in the country on Friday.

"The Indonesian government would like to thank the Dutch government for the vaccine assistance," spokesperson for COVID-19 at the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said in a press release.

The vaccine delivery was a continuation of the Dutch assistance to Indonesia, she added. The first Janssen vaccine assistance of 500 thousand doses was received from the Dutch government on September 11, 2021.

The Indonesian government also received 657 thousand doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Dutch government, she added.

Further, the Dutch government donated 819,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine on October 30, 2021 and 680,400 doses on October 10, she said.

Tarmizi noted that the grant of vaccines is a tangible manifestation of the good relationship between Indonesia and the Netherlands, as well as proof of the commitment of the two countries to collaborate in handling COVID-19.

Indonesia has aggressively sought equality of access to vaccines to protect the world from the threat of COVID 19, which has continued to mutate, she added.

"As stated by President Joko Widodo, if there is no equal access to vaccines, it will be difficult to meet the vaccination target set by the WHO," she said.

Approximately 80 countries will not be able to vaccinate 40 percent of their population against COVID-19 by the end of 2021, she noted.

However, Indonesia has continued to intensify the national vaccination program to remote villages, Tarmizi said.

"The central government encourages regions to continue to accelerate and expand vaccination coverage for their people. The National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) are also helping in the vaccination program," she informed.

In addition, to guarantee the availability of vaccine stocks, the government is also providing vaccine education to the public, especially to counter false news or hoaxes that are in wide circulation, Tarmizi said.

In some areas, hoaxes have played a role in slowing down vaccinations, she noted. People are afraid and worried about the side effects of vaccination, she said.

"Once again, the government confirms that all the COVID-19 vaccines used in Indonesia are safe and efficacious, and have obtained a permit from the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM)," she emphasized.​​​​​​​

Tarmizi then reminded people to increase vigilance amid the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in several countries.

"Increasing vigilance includes implementing the health protocols and immediately seeking COVID-19 vaccinations," she added//ANT

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has pegged Indonesia's solar energy potential at 3,294.36 GWp. (ANTARA PHOTO/IRWANSYAH PUTRA/KT) - 

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) said it has drawn up a roadmap for the energy transition to help Indonesia achieve its carbon-neutral target by 2060.

The government has prepared four strategies to reduce carbon emissions: the application of Carbon Capture, Usage, and Storage (CCUS) technology, routine flare restrictions, optimization of natural gas utilization for households and transportation, and reduction of methane emissions, it said.

"The government plans to implement CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage) for increasing oil and gas production and store potential emissions of about 48 million carbon dioxide (equivalent)," ESDM ministry's director of oil and gas program development, Dwi Anggoro Ismukurnianto, informed in a statement released here on Friday.

There are three fields that have conducted trials on the implementation of CCUS: Gundih, Sukowati, and Tangguh, he said.

The government is targeting to start CCUS at Gundih in 2024 or 2025 to prevent the release of an estimated three million tons of stored carbon in 10 years, he said. 

Meanwhile, Sukowati, as the prototype, will be started next year and completed in 2025, he said. It is targeted to reach its full scale in 2030, with the aim of preventing the release of an estimated 15 million tons of carbon dioxide in 25 years,he added.

"Tangguh field will apply CCUS in 2026, with an estimated 30 million tons of carbon dioxide in 10 years," he explained.

The second strategy is restricting the use of flares, as stipulated in the ESDM Ministerial Regulation No.17 of 2021 concerning the management of flare gas in the oil and gas industry, Ismukurnianto informed.

In the regulation, it is stated that the daily limit of flare used for oil fields for six months is a maximum of two MMSCFD, he said.

For gas fields, the daily cap on flare used for a six-month period is 2 percent of gas feeds, he noted. Meanwhile, oil and gas processing activities are not allowed to utilize flares, he said.

As per the rule, there is an obligation to make a plan for the utilization of flare gas in new refineries, cooperation in flare gas management, comprehensive reporting concepts, and the implementation of sanctions and awards, he said.

The third strategy is to optimize the utilization of natural gas for households and transportation, he said.

"Since 2009, the government has been building a natural gas network for households. The goal is to reduce 654 thousand tons of carbon dioxide by 2024," he said.

The conversion of kerosene to LPG is estimated to reduce 15.39 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2024, he said.

The use of natural gas as a public transport fuel is estimated to have prevented the release of 178 thousand tons of carbon dioxide in 2019, he said.

The fourth strategy is reducing methane emissions, he said. "Currently, Indonesia has priority to build a database of greenhouse gases, including reliable methane. It is important for the government to make valid identification in methane mitigation," he explained.

The government is also open to opportunities for collaboration for reducing methane emissions globally, he added//ANT

 The seventh round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which began this week, will end on Friday with a formal meeting of the remaining parties to the deal, European and Iranian officials said.

The meeting of Iran, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China is in a format known as the Joint Commission which has bookended previous rounds of talks. The Iranian official said the meeting would be held around noon (1100 GMT). The aim is to resume the talks next week, the European diplomat said.

"The Europeans want to return to their capitals for consultations ... We are ready to stay in Vienna for further talks," an Iranian official close to the talks told Reuters.

On the fourth day of indirect U.S.-Iran talks on bringing both nations fully back into the deal, the United States and Iran both sounded pessimistic about the chances of reinstating the deal, which former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018. (Reuters)