VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Ambassador to the United States, Muhammad Lutfi reminded the importance of joint commitment in the field of  economy  for countries in the world, including in the region, to handle the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. He also explained that this commitment is quite important because this crisis is different from the previous one. It was conveyed by Ambassador Muhammad Lutfi  at a meeting with a number of groups in the US which was held by The Asia Foundation on Wednesday (16/12). The meeting was attended by  entrepreneurs, business consultants and academicians.

Ambassador Lutfi in a written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Washington also explained that the current economic crisis must also be responded to by strengthening resilience and cooperation in the health sector, digital economy and supply chain industry. He hopes that solidarity with vaccine producing countries, including the US, in providing vaccine access is totally needed so that the handling of the Covid-19 at the global level is not partial. Furthermore, he is optimistic that during the pandemic or afterwards, the use of the digital economy will continuously gain greater momentum in economic development in Indonesia, the region and the world. Because the growth of the digital economy sector in Indonesia has reached above 40 percent per year. He expects that the United States can further explore digitalization of the health and education sectors in Indonesia.  Moreover, there are ease  improvements of doing business and investment offered through the Job Creation Law.

Aside from government officials and the US Congress, Ambassador Lutfi's pro-active diplomacy in promoting Indonesia's investment potential in the US as well as Indonesia-US bilateral cooperation in various fields, also targets US business people, think-tanks and academicians.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed people's living habits, including when they go to school or college. Various innovations have been created so that people are more comfortable entering a period of adapting to new normal. The online lecture system from home is the background for the student team from the Instrumentation Engineering Department, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) to create technological innovations in a bid to support online learning. The team leader, Moch Raka Dwi explained that this innovation was taken from students’ hope of being able to return to their activities safely on campus. Thereby, they created a technology that could support learning amid the Covid-19 pandemic, namely the HCL, an acronym for Healthy Classroom with an automatic air filter and UV light system.

The spread of the virus is prone to spreading in school buildings and rooms as educational facilities. Existing educational facilities must be able to apply the concept of healthy buildings as an effort to learn in the new normal. HCL is equipped with an air filter and UVC which functions as a virus sterilizer in the room after use. UVC was chosen because according to research it can kill the coronavirus. HCL is also installed with CCTV and a thermal imaging camera which is used to send signals to the system so that UV does not light up while there are still humans in the room because it is very dangerous for the body. In addition, this HCL is also equipped with a marker alarm that automatically sounds when disinfection is carried out as a sign that the room should not be entered.

The HCL innovation concept is also realized by installing a DOAS (Dedicated Outdoor Air System) which functions as an indoor air system. The way it works is to enter air from outside into the room, which is equipped with a Hepa filter as a filter and an exhaust fan to circulate dirty and clean air. With this oxygen exchange, the system created can also regulate air humidity. The results of this air filter system and UV can certainly kill the coronavirus in the air or on the surface of objects in the room.

Ambassador Priyo Iswanto receives an award from the University of del Sinu, Colombia

Indonesian Ambassador to Colombia, Priyo Iswanto received an award  of One Hundred-Year Medal -Elias Bechara Zainum from the University of del Sinu in Colombia, which was awarded online in a ceremony  on Thursday (10/12) local time.   Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Bogota in a statement in Jakarta, Friday (11/12) stated that  Ambassador Priyo received the award because he has contributed to bring forward  the  relationship between Colombia and Indonesia, particularly over past few years amid difficult situations and due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As quoted from the statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Bogota, he stated that the award is an honor for the Indonesian people, as well as an acknowledgment from influential institutions in Colombia that the cooperation between Indonesia and Colombia is getting increased, and the image of Indonesia is getting more positive and well known by the Colombian people.

He further remarked that after 40 years of diplomatic relations, now it is the right time  for academicians to be actively involved in  increasing cooperation as well as increasing people-to-people contact by utilizing free visa facilities from both countries.  In the fortieth  anniversary of diplomatic relations,  Indonesia and Colombia established bilateral consultations in 2020 and the countries agreed on a free visa  policy for citizens of both countries. Besides, for the first time there has also been an academic collaboration between universities in Indonesia and Colombia, namely the Veterans National Development University of East Java and the University of Externado, the University of Muhammadiyah Malang and the EAFIT Medellin University, and it is in a process for the University of del Sinu with one of the universities in Indonesia.

Indonesia has the opportunity to receive 110 million US dollars from REDD+, in East Kalimantan

Indonesia has the opportunity to receive results-based payments of up to 110 million US$ or around 1.5 trillion Rupiah from the World Bank's program to reduce 22 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation and forest degradation plus (REDD +) in East Kalimantan. Acting Head of Research and Development Center for Socio-Economic Policy and Climate Change of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Choirul Achmad in his press statement as reported by Antara in Jakarta, Tuesday (Dec 15), said that Indonesia was ready to implement a performance-based payment program resulting from reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation through The World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facilities-Carbon Fund (FCPF-CF) Program. The readiness for the implementation phase is a follow-up to the electronic signing of the Emission Reduction Payment Agreement (ERPA) document, between the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, represented by Secretary General Bambang Hendroyono, and the Country Director of World Bank Indonesia-Timor Leste Regional One, Kahkonen on November 27.

Choirul Achmad said that the FCPF Readiness Grant has been going on for a very long time since 2011. In 2015, East Kalimantan Province was chosen as the location for the FCPF Carbon Fund Pilot Project and up to 2020 it had passed various stages of fulfilling the very strict requirements requested by the World Bank.

During the FCPF Readiness Fund phase, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Provincial Government of East Kalimantan submitted an Emission Reduction Program Document (ERPD) and received approval in February 2019. In addition, various REDD+ tools have been prepared in East Kalimantan Province such as Measurement, Monitoring and Reporting (MMR), safeguards and benefit sharing mechanisms, capacity building, strengthening of institution and preparation for the implementation.