The Indonesian Embassy in Beirut has acknowledged its continued support for trade cooperation improvement between Indonesia and Lebanon. Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon Hajriyanto Y Thohari gave the Primaduta Award to Lebanese businessman and importer, George R Fattouh. The award was given for his service in helping market Indonesian products in Paris from the Middle East. The award was given at a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut, Thursday (11/1) Fatough, is the owner of George R. Fattouh S.A.L, a business that has been importing Indonesian products since the 1980s. It has a range of products, including: palm oil and its derivatives, oil and fats (including cocoa butter substitute, fat spread, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, and lauric confectionery fats), cardboard, stationary, and school equipment. Some Indonesian products are now even available at famous retail networks, such as Spinney’s and Carrefour. In 2022, the value imported by George R. Fattough S.A.L of Indonesian products, was 981.3 million USD. This was a 149.5 million USD increase when compared to 2021. Fattouh said Indonesian products are known for their quality and are in high demand in Lebanese markets. However, he said, the challenge now is increasing freight costs due to security challenges in the region.
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Listeners, a number of delicious dishes were served to the guests of Dhaup Ageng Pura Pakualaman Yogyakarta, at the wedding reception of the youngest son of K.G.P.A.A. Paku Alam X, namely B.P.H. Kusumo Kuntonugroho with Laily Annisa Kusumastuti which was held on January 10, 2024.Head of the Customs and Accommodation Division, Dhaup Ageng Pura Pakualaman, KRT Radyo Wisroyo said that the menu served to guests was quite varied. These menus are typical menus prepared by Pakualaman Pura, Indonesian menus and western food menus were also available. All invited guests including VIP and VVIP guests got the same menu. The first menu served to welcome guests, namely two types of welcome drink, namely lime lemongrass and ginger drink with lime. The welcome drink was given when guests sat down and watched the Bedhaya Sidamukti and Bedhaya Kakung Indrawidagda dance performances. Next, they gotsnacks for appetizer such as croquettes and other light snacks. There is a snack that is considered quite special and rare called Garulina. Garulina was the opening snack at the Pahargyan Dhaup Ageng Pakualaman lunch on the first day. Garulina has been around since the era before Indonesian independence. Garulina is actually not a typical Central Javanese food. It looks like the Lapis Legit layered cake, but there is something different, because there is a special layer like vla which is made from fresh milk, eggs and sugar. To get this sweet snack, Pakulaman Temple has to place a special order from the third generation of makers who have been pioneering since the 1950s. In Jogja, Garulina is very difficult to find and is considered rare because it is not sold every day.
ViewThe Indonesian embassy in China held a cultural festival in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China on July 9-11. The event was opened by Indonesian Ambassador to China and Mongolia, Djauhari Oratmangun on Friday (9/7). It was attended by the Indonesian Consul General in Shanghai, Deny W Kurnia and the leaders of the Huibao Group, party leaders, and officials from the City of Suzhou. Besides, it was also attended by the head of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Inacham) in China, Indonesian professionals and business people. This event performed traditional dances and exhibited Indonesian food products. The various other products exhibited at the event are Indonesian companies’ products in China such as Kapal Api, Papatonk, Rusto Tempeh, Yantyty Group, Indofood, Duosus, Caryn Henna Art, Art Coffee.
Besides opening the festival, Ambassador Djauhari and Consul General Deny also participated in inaugurating the 3rd phase of the development of the Emerald City Suzhou (ECS). ECS is a superblock area of malls, shops and hotels. The ambassador also mentioned that the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and China, which has been running for 71 years since 1950, has developed rapidly over the last twenty years. Then, Ambassador Djauhari also explained that on one hand, the rapid development of this strategic partnership has placed China as Indonesia's largest trading partner. On the other hand, Indonesia is China's 4th largest trading partner.
In the investment sector, China has also become the second largest investment partner in Indonesia. This synergy of cooperation is continuously developed by the two countries, both within the framework of China's Belt Road Initiative (BRI) and Indonesia's Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF).
University of Indonesia (UI) students who are members of the UI Autonomous Marine Vehicle (AMV) Team again contributed to achievements in the international arena. A team of 26 students from various cross-faculty study programs at UI designed a ship called ‘MAKARA MH4 XX’. The ship won 3rd place in the Video Skills Category: Sensor Optimization at the 14th International RoboBoat Competition 2021. This victory is a comeback from the AMV UI team after a year of absence from the annual competition. RoboBoat 2021 was participated by 14 teams from 6 countries with 303 participants. They come from high schools and universities at the undergraduate level, and postgraduate level. The competition was held online from March 29 to June 27, 2021. RoboBoat aims to provide a simplified version of the challenges faced in the modern world maritime industry. RoboNation is an institution that focuses on the development of robotic technology based in Florida, United States.
The MAKARA MH4 XX ship is designed by using the Hydrofoil Supported Catamaran (HYSUCAT) concept. The basic principle of HYSUCAT is to utilize a high performance hydrofoil system in the tunnel between the two hulls. The hydrofoil system consists of a main foil placed between and parallel to the bottom of the hull, slightly towards the ship's center of gravity. The team under the guidance of Dr. Muhammad Arif Budiyanto, Head of the Marine Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia, chose the HYSUCAT design concept because of several advantages, including that HYSUCAT is much more comprehensive than a catamaran or monohull of comparable size, especially during heavy loads and at high speeds. The performance of the Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV), or autonomous surface ship, is critical for competition, especially on speed gate mission tasks. The Skills Video category participated in by MAKARA MH4 XX is intended to highlight how autonomous ships have various input sensors, and can integrate all of these sensors so that the ship carries out its mission quickly and precisely. This integration is expressed in the form of video skills that are collected and then published on the RoboBoat YouTube channel.
Angelita Cindi Viani, AMV UI Team manager explained that the team implemented a new machine learning method, namely transfer learning for the automated detection program from the ship. Transfer learning is the process of building a custom machine learning model, based on a model that has been pre-trained to study thousands of images. According to Angelita, the trained model used is MobileNet, because it has fewer parameters, smaller network size, and faster performance. By using this method, object detection in each mission will be more accurate; the robot will move in a more directed way with a better detection rate. In addition, transfer learning reduces the computational requirements and saves a lot of time and team resources. RoboBoat gives participants the opportunity to design, build, and test an Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV), as well as compare the unique systems of each vessel with contestants from around the world.
To attract visitors to the Indonesian product exhibition at the "Indonesia Bazaar", the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo held a Japanese-language shadow puppet show with Indonesian diaspora puppeteers. Indonesia Bazaar aims to promote Indonesian products, including food and beverage products, namely coffee, tea and herbal, as well as clothing products. Indonesian Ambassador to Japan, Heri Akhmadi appreciated a leather puppet performance at the exhibition because it combines Indonesian art and culture with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises products, originally made in Indonesia, which are marketed. Indonesia Bazaar is held throughout the month of July.
Universitas Surabaya (Ubaya) invites hundreds of foreign students from 12 countries to join Javanese Calligraphy. The twelve countries are the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Korea, the Republic of China, India, Bangladesh, Kenya, the United States and Indonesia. This activity is one of the Ubaya Online Summer Program 2021 series with the theme "Creative Industries: During the Covid-19 Pandemic". 625 students from various leading universities in the world learned to write Javanese script virtually last Wednesday (7/7). The Ubaya Online Summer Program is a routine activity held virtually once to twice a year with a series of activities to get to know and learn about Indonesian arts and cultures.
The Directorate General of Culture of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with the Titimangsa Foundation initiated a performance entitled 'Taksu Ubud'. Ubud City, which is located in the middle of the island of Bali, is famous as a tourism spot and the center of Balinese culture. Taksu Ubud' is an art performance of drama, dance and music featuring Ubud as a Balinese traditional guard. Through a simple story, 'Taksu Ubud' presents the beauty of Ubud art. Almost all Ubud people live close to customs and traditions. During the day, they work as farmers, traders, and teachers. At night, they live as performers of the arts in Ubud. The income they generate from their daily work is returned for custom development.
'Taksu Ubud' features dance, percussion and Kidung. The show involved many groups of dancers and musicians, such as Gamelan Yuganada, Bumi Bajra Sandhi Foundation, Kertha Art Performance, Sanggar Cudamani, Ubud Performing Art, Napak Tuju, Swaradanta and the Janahita Mandala Ubud Foundation. In addition, 'Taksu Ubud' also features many senior Balinese artists who have worked for decades with full dedication to art and cultural development. Taksu Ubud' also highlights prominent Indonesian actors, namely Reza Rahadian and Christine Hakim.
Taksu Ubud tells the story of a young Ubud man, Umbara, who since childhood has lived far from Ubud and his mother. It was time for the mother to ask Umbara to return to Ubud. Immediately, Umbara faced a dilemma. Should he leave the comfort and convenience he got while overseas for the love of his mother and Ubud, an ancestral place that is foreign to him? Taksu Ubud' can be enjoyed online from 6 July 2021 to 12 July 2021.
To encourage and develop cooperation in the fields of science and technology, the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran visited the Iran Nanotechnology Innovation Council on Monday (28/6). On the occasion, Indonesian Ambassador to Iran, Ronny P. Yuliantoro met Secretary General of the Iran Nanotechnology Innovation Council, Saeed Sarkar. They discussed the development and follow-up cooperation between Indonesia and Iran in the field of pharmaceutical nanotechnology and medical devices as well as the development of human resources in the field of nanotechnology.
Indonesia and Iran have signed a technical arrangement agreement between the Indonesian Ministry of Health and the Iran Nanotechnology Innovation Council on the development of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and stem cell products on the sidelines of the former Indonesian Minister of Health, Terawan Agus Putranto's visit to Tehran on September 15, 2019. In March 2020, they agreed to expand cooperation in promoting joint investment in artificial intelligence, high-tech medical devices, and health care facilities.
One of the concrete collaborations of both countries is the development of a Robotic Surgery Center in Indonesia, which is currently being processed. Iran's nanotechnology sector has grown rapidly over the past 20 years. Based on the number of publications of International Scientific Indexing, Iran is the country with the 4th most publications in the world with 12,190 International Scientific Indexing publications in 2020.
Besides, Ambassador Ronny hopes that the cooperation between Indonesia and Iran in the field of nanotechnology will be directed on human resource development, through joint research collaborations, teaching staff and researchers’ exchanges, as well as organizing seminars and workshops in the future.
Stunting is still a major issue which is being faced by Indonesia. According to the Ministry of Health, stunting is a condition in which toddlers have a length or height that is less than their age. Stunting in toddlers includes chronic nutritional problems caused by many factors, such as socioeconomic conditions, maternal nutrition during pregnancy, infant morbidity, and lack of nutritional intake in infants. Stunting toddlers in the future will have difficulty in achieving optimal physical and cognitive development.
In 2019, the National Development Planning Agency determined 160 Cities and Regencies which were priorities for stunting management. One of them is Subang Regency in West Java Province. The Center for Appropriate Technology Research as a government institution has the responsibility to help reduce the prevalence of stunting in Indonesian toddlers, especially in Subang Regency through the Nutritious Local Food Innovation program. Through the National Research Priority for Revitalizing Food Security and Nutrition for Stunting Prevention, Ainia Herminiati and the LIPI team conducted a research 'Application of Micronutrient Premix in Complementary Foods for Mother's Milk (MP-ASI) and Its Effectiveness for Prevention of Stunting Toddlers in Subang Regency'. Ainia and the team have developed products that can be consumed by toddlers, including pudding and instant baby porridge as complementary food for mother’s milk (MP-ASI) for babies aged 6 to 24 months. The instant porridge product as MP-ASI which is given the brand 'Pro Babies' uses the basic ingredients of mocaf flour which is produced by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Tanjung Siang District, Subang Regency. Mocaf flour is an intermediate product from cassava. Supporting food crops of agricultural development programs and activities in West Java Province in 2015-2019 used rice, corn, and soybean. One of the locations for the development of plant cultivation is in Subang Regency.
The "Pro Babies" product is a local food innovation made from mocaf flour with supporting ingredients of skim milk and tempe flour, fortified by micronutrient premix (Fe, Zn, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, folic acid), and enriched with inulin. The product form chosen is instant porridge and pudding with consideration of relatively long shelf life, more practical because it reduces volume and it is easy to serve and to handle in the distribution process.
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi and her Russian counterpart, Minister Sergey Lavrov co-chaired the ASEAN-Russia Special Ministerial Meeting held virtually on July 6, 2021. The meeting discussed the strategic partnership between ASEAN and Russia, which this year is entering its 25th year. Minister Retno Marsudi presented two main issues at the meeting. The first issue is about cooperation in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. Minister Retno Marsudi encourages Russia to support the fulfillment of vaccine needs in the region through dose-sharing, and prioritizes ASEAN countries as Russian vaccine recipients and explores the possibility of joint-production with ASEAN Member countries. She also called for ASEAN and Russia to jointly strengthen support for the COVAX Facility, negotiations on the TRIPS Waiver and equality of recognition for vaccines.
The second issue is related to regional architecture. Minister Retno saw the similarities in the principles of the Russian Vision regarding regional architecture and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo Pacific (AOIP), which are becoming increasingly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic. Indonesia also called for Russia to support ASEAN centrality and efforts to overcome the situation in Myanmar.
Regarding Russia's proposal to hold the Russia-ASEAN High Level Meeting in October 2021, Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized that the summit must be a momentum to strengthen ASEAN and Russia's partnership to overcome various challenges and also increase Russia's contribution in the region.
The meeting, which was held to encourage Russia's commitment and active role in the Southeast Asian region, has produced an outcome document in the form of a Co-chairs Summary. The point is to agree on accelerating the post-pandemic recovery process, including reducing socio-economic impacts, restoring macroeconomic and financial stability, supply chain, connectivity and strengthening environmental resilience.
The meeting also agreed on a plan to hold the ASEAN-Russia Summit in October 2021. The meeting also agreed on various collaborations in various fields, including maritime security, information and communication technology security, disaster management, and counterterrorism and trans-boundary crime.
Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore, Suryo Pratomo explained that Indonesia is recommended to increase the financial technology inclusion index of ASEAN countries. Based on its records, Indonesia's financial inclusion index is still the lowest among ASEAN countries. The financial inclusion index in Indonesia was recorded at 76 percent in 2019, while ASEAN countries, such as Singapore reached 98 percent, Malaysia 85 percent, and Thailand 82 percent. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore reported on Thursday (1/7) that Ambassador Suryo Pratomo in his remarks at Webinar titled “the Digital and Fintech Opportunities for Indonesia and Singapore” explained that around 80 percent of Indonesia's digital industry, including the financial technology sector, is more developed in Java and Sumatra. In fact, the potential of the digital economy, such as the financial technology industry in Indonesia, is still very large, including in eastern Indonesia.
Moreover, Ambassdor Suryo Pratomo further said that building infrastructure to support the financial technology industry in Indonesia is not easy. As a wide archipelagic country, Indonesia needs a large investment to establish the facilities and infrastructure. Besides, Indonesia's digital financial literacy rate is also still low, only 35.5 percent. In fact, Indonesia has the second largest number of mobile phone users in the world. During 2020, the online transaction was estimated to reach Rp201 trillion. While, the distribution of funding through financial technology companies reached Rp155.9 trillion or it rose more than 90 percent compared to the previous year.
At the webinar attended by more than 140 participants from the Singapore and Indonesia financial technology industry, Ambassador Suryo Pratomo hopes that financial technology companies would be able to promote literacy in Indonesian society. Financial technology companies are also expected to help business players, particularly Small,Micro and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to integrate into the digital economy network.
Stunting is still a major issue which is being faced by Indonesia. According to the Ministry of Health, stunting is a condition in which toddlers have a length or height that is less than their age. Stunting in toddlers includes chronic nutritional problems caused by many factors, such as socioeconomic conditions, maternal nutrition during pregnancy, infant morbidity, and lack of nutritional intake in infants. Stunting toddlers in the future will have difficulty in achieving optimal physical and cognitive development.
In 2019, the National Development Planning Agency determined 160 Cities and Regencies which were priorities for stunting management. One of them is Subang Regency in West Java Province. The Center for Appropriate Technology Research as a government institution has the responsibility to help reduce the prevalence of stunting in Indonesian toddlers, especially in Subang Regency through the Nutritious Local Food Innovation program. Through the National Research Priority for Revitalizing Food Security and Nutrition for Stunting Prevention, Ainia Herminiati and the LIPI team conducted a research 'Application of Micronutrient Premix in Complementary Foods for Mother's Milk (MP-ASI) and Its Effectiveness for Prevention of Stunting Toddlers in Subang Regency'. Ainia and the team have developed products that can be consumed by toddlers, including pudding and instant baby porridge as complementary food for mother’s milk (MP-ASI) for babies aged 6 to 24 months. The instant porridge product as MP-ASI which is given the brand 'Pro Babies' uses the basic ingredients of mocaf flour which is produced by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Tanjung Siang District, Subang Regency. Mocaf flour is an intermediate product from cassava. Supporting food crops of agricultural development programs and activities in West Java Province in 2015-2019 used rice, corn, and soybean. One of the locations for the development of plant cultivation is in Subang Regency.
The "Pro Babies" product is a local food innovation made from mocaf flour with supporting ingredients of skim milk and tempe flour, fortified by micronutrient premix (Fe, Zn, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, folic acid), and enriched with inulin. The product form chosen is instant porridge and pudding with consideration of relatively long shelf life, more practical because it reduces volume and it is easy to serve and to handle in the distribution process.
The Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh held a fun bike event titled ‘Batik-Kroma Fun Bike’. Kroma is a traditional Cambodian accessory. The fun bike was held last Wednesday (30/6) by implementing health protocols. All participants who joined had to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and to wear masks. The Indonesian Embassy also cooperated with the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism and the Cambodian Cycling Federation. According to the official release of the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh, on Thursday (1/7), the participants took a 27-km route around the Angkor complex. This event opened a series of commemorations of the 76th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia as well as a form of support for Cambodia as the host of the 2023 SEA Games. Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Sudirman Haseng said that Batik-Kroma is a tangible form of implementing bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Cambodia considering that Siem Reap and Central Java as well as Temple Tourism Park and Apsara National Authority have a Memorandum of Understanding.
The Indonesian Embassy in Bratislava in Slovakia was again conducting gastronomic diplomacy by introducing Indonesian cuisine. The diplomacy was carried out through the holding of the "Indonesian Cuisine Cooking Class 2021: Taste of Indonesia" event on Wednesday (30/6). In the event, Chef Yusuf from Indonesia demonstrated how to cook Indonesian food that is easy to do and according to Slovak tastes. These dishes include fried rice, gado-gado and dadar gulung. In addition, this event was also to introduce tempe as a "super food", an original Indonesian food since the 17th century which is easy to make and obtain and has a higher protein than beef.
The Indonesian Embassy in Rabat collaborated with Hassan I University by inaugurating the 'Indonesian Cultural Gallery' at the Hassan I University Innovation Building Library on 28 June. The 'Indonesian Cultural Gallery' featured an exhibition of photos of Indonesian flora and fauna, Indonesian traditional wedding dress and documentation of the visit of the First President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno to Morocco in 1960. The inauguration of the 'Indonesian Cultural Gallery' was enlivened by the Pambahan Dance from West Sumatra and the Saman Dance from Aceh. On the same occasion, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Indonesian Embassy in Rabat and Hassan I University as well as a memorandum of understanding between Semarang State University and Hassan I University. They agreed to increase cooperation, especially in the field of education.