VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, has noted that women with disabilities are facing higher rates of stigmatization and discrimination, compared to women without disabilities.

"Women with disabilities are facing stigmatization and discrimination that are higher, as compared to women without disabilities," Puspayoga said at the Women 20 (W20) 4th Plenary Event here on Wednesday.

The W20 is part of the Indonesian G20 Sherpa Track. The engagement group, which was established in 2015, is focused on issues of women's development, inclusive growth, gender equality, and women's cooperation in the international economy.

Puspayoga said that women with disabilities are often deemed helpless when, in fact, they actually have the same abilities and potential as other people.

According to Puspayoga, most women with disabilities work in the informal sector or do not have a job.

"These women are also concentrated in the informal employment sector or have no work at all," she said.

In fact, women who make up half of the population of Indonesia and the world are very valuable, she stressed.

For that reason, she expressed hope that all women could become agents of change in realizing a better world.

"Every woman, regardless of background and characteristics, is an agent of change for a better world," she said.

By empowering women, both women from urban and from rural areas, including women with disabilities, it is believed that the world economy will become more prosperous.

"When we empower our women, whether it is women in cities, women in rural areas, or women with disabilities, we accelerate poverty alleviation and economic stability, leading to prosperity for all," the minister noted. (antaranews)

Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva has said she cannot yet confirm whether President Vladimir Putin’s will attend the G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022.

“We cannot yet ascertain whether President Vladimir Putin will attend it offline or online,” Vorobieva said during a press conference here on Wednesday.

Many factors and situations will influence the president’s presence at the summit, she said without elaborating.

“We still have time to think about that and still await developments,” she added.

In a phone conversation with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on April 28, 2022, Putin said he will attend the G20 Summit.

Jokowi said the Russian leader expressed gratitude for the invitation to attend the summit. The G20 represents global economic and political power, as it comprises 20 countries and regions which contribute 85 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and 75 percent of global trade, and represents two-thirds of the world’s population.

The G20 includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Britain, the United States and the European Union.

The summit will conclude the G20 process and intense work conducted within the Ministerial Meetings, Working Groups, and Engagement Groups throughout the year. (Antaranews)

Indonesia has proposed four measures for building sustainable resilience in the face of disasters, including pandemics, that could disrupt the attainment of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

“The first concept is the importance of strengthening awareness of disaster response in an anticipative, responsive, and adaptive way to minimize disaster risks,” Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said at the High-Level International Conference on Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Tuesday.

The second measure is a call for each country to invest in science, technology, and innovation within the framework of disaster mitigation and handling, he said in a written statement.

“As launched by UNESCO, state leaders must be aware of the importance of data and knowledge to support and improve water resource management as water is key to mitigating disaster risks,” he added.

“The third concept is building disaster- and climate-resistant infrastructures such as dams, wave breakers, reservoirs, dikes, and green infrastructures,” he said.

The fourth measure is joint commitment among various stakeholders at the local, national, and international levels to implement global agreements, he said.

“By applying the four concepts, we hope we can achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly the sixth goal on water and sanitation by ensuring the availability of water and resistance to water-related disasters,” he added.

He further said that the integration of disaster risk reduction with infrastructure development planning can serve as an effective investment for preventing losses in the future.

“Disaster risk reduction investment can reduce infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction costs by at least four times. Hence, disaster control efforts covering all preventive aspects, mitigation, emergency response, rescue, rehabilitation, and reconstruction need to become a framework for important national policy,” he said.

Hadimuljono also invited all delegates to attend the World Water Forum (WWF) scheduled in Bali in 2024. (Antaranews)

The Indonesian Transportation Ministry and Australia have jointly organized a training session for International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code Auditors in Semarang city, Central Java province, from June 6 to 8, 2022. The Maritime Security Inspector Training is a routine activity carried out jointly by the two countries, head of the patrol and security sub-directorate of the Indonesian Coast and Sea Guard Unit (KPLP), Captain Ramadhan Hasri Harahap, said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

"The training is expected to provide experience and increase the knowledge of maritime security inspectors, which is important to ensure that the implementation of monitoring, analyzing, and enforcement activities runs smoothly," he added.

Maritime security guarantees various activities conducted at sea, including shipping activities, thus training for maritime security inspectors is very important, he said.

"The training can also expedite the monitoring and analysis of security potentials around the maritime area; thus, they (security personnel) can be more effective and efficient in carrying out their task," he stated.

Harahap said that the KPLP, as the designetid authority (DA) under the Directorate General of Sea Transportation of the ministry, discharges supervising and monitoring responsibilities for ensuring maritime security, and requires port facilities and shipping companies to comply with the applicable regulations.

"Hence, enforcing maritime security is important to create smooth shipping operational activities," he remarked.

He added that the training activity is also expected to facilitate the exchange of information regarding Australia’s maritime regulations, which can serve as an input for improving Indonesia’s ISPS Code regulations.

The training event was also attended by the First Secretary (Transport) of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Julie Lewis. (Antaranews)