VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

This year, relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia enter its 50th year. Both sides commemorate it by holding the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Australia on March 4-6 2024. Indonesian President Joko Widodo and a limited delegation on Monday (4/3) left for Melbourne to attend the Summit.

Some mediators from the US, Qatar, and Hamas gathered in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday (3/3) to continue the talk of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Those mediators gave a new push for the ceasefire in Gaza, but there were still disagreements. Meanwhile, the battle is still raging in the hunger-stricken Palestine.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) stated that they would not send their troops to Ukraine. The statement was issued after a conference of European leaders in France last Monday (26/2/2024). Even so, French President, Emmanuel Macron still said that sending troops to Ukraine could not be ruled out to achieve NATO's goals. According to him, Russia cannot and must not win the war.

NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had no plans to send combat troops to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday (27/2/2024) also stated that the United States would not send troops to fight in Ukraine.

German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz on Tuesday (27/2/2024) rejected the idea of sending troops to Ukraine. He emphasized that what had been agreed from the start among NATO members also applies to the future, namely there will be no troops sent by European countries or NATO to Ukraine.

Scholz also emphasized that soldiers based in NATO countries are also not allowed to actively participate in the fighting between Ukraine and Russia. This is to prevent an escalation of war involving NATO.

Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, whose country is about to join NATO, also said he had no current plans to send ground troops to Ukraine.

Poland, Britain and Spain have also publicly rejected the idea of bringing troops from NATO member countries into direct conflict against Russia.

Responding to President Emmanuel Macron's statement, the Russian government on Tuesday (27/2/2024) stated that conflict with NATO was inevitable if Western countries, members of the defence pact, sent troops to Ukraine. Russian government spokesman, Dmitry Peskov reminded at a press conference in Moscow that NATO member countries must be able to assess the consequences that may arise if they take this decision. They must realize that it is not at all in the interests of each country.

On one hand, Peskov said a number of Western countries are quite aware of the potential consequences and threats that may arise if sending troops to Ukraine is carried out.

On the other hand, NATO's Collective Defence Principle Article 5 states, if one member of the alliance is attacked in Europe or North America, it is considered an attack against all members. Thereby, they may take actions deemed necessary to assist the allies.

It has been two years since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but there is no sign of it ending soon. It cannot be denied that since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict broke out, NATO has provided support for Ukraine, including sending weapons. But sending NATO troops to Ukraine to help deal with Russia will only make matters worse. The best way is to stop the war so that the people of both countries can return to a normal and peaceful life.

The United Nations - UN General Assembly on Monday (26/02/2024) adopted a resolution to declare 2027 the International Sustainable and Resilient Tourism Year. As reported by Antara news agency, the resolution invites the World Tourism Organization - UNWTO to facilitate the organization and implementation of the international year in collaboration with governments, relevant organizations in the UN system, international and regional organizations, as well as other relevant stakeholders.

Sustainable tourism is not something new. Previously, UNWTO had declared 2017 as the International Year for Sustainable Tourism Development. Campaigns about sustainable tourism have also been echoed frequently.

As a country rich in tourist attractions, Indonesia through its Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is committed to developing sustainable tourism. On various occasions, the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, conveyed Indonesia's sustainable tourism program.

Sustainable tourism is the development of tourism concepts that could have a long-term impact. The development is both in environmental, social, cultural, and economic aspects, for the present and future of all local communities and visiting tourists.

Many tourist destinations in Indonesia already carry the concept of sustainable tourism. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy develops sustainable tourism by referring to four focus pillars. These are sustainable management, long-term sustainable economic, cultural sustainability which must always be developed and maintained, and sustainable environmental aspects.

Indonesia has also succeeded in developing tourist villages that implement sustainable tourism. National parks can be developed based on sustainable tourism, such as Baluran National Park in East Java, Ujung Kulon National Park in West Java, and others in various regions. Indonesia also has natural beauty, culture, arts, and traditions which can be a tourist attraction.

The hope is that Indonesia will be successful with its sustainable tourism program, not only to pursue the target of 2027 as the "Year of Sustainable Tourism", but for the sustainability of Indonesian tourism in general. This can be achieved with the involvement of all parties. The government, with its regulations and major blueprints, can make it easier to develop sustainable tourism. Tourism business players can continue to develop their programs to increase the selling value of Indonesian tourism. Locals, particularly in tourist destinations, can also be involved in tourism development. Therefore, sustainable tourism will ultimately bring sustainability to the economy and prosperity to the Indonesian people.