VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Indonesian Government will be sharing knowledge and experiences in childhood stunting alleviation with the Government of Laos from September 4 to 7, Spokesperson for the Vice President Masduki Baidlowi said.

According to Baidlowi here Monday, the Vice Presidential Secretariat facilitated the visit of the Laotian delegation.

He elaborated on the secretariat's initiative by citing Presidential Regulation No. 72 of 2021 concerning stunting alleviation acceleration, which assigns the secretariat two main duties, which include providing support to Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, as head of the Stunting Alleviation Acceleration Team.

By tenaciously striving to accelerate efforts to reduce the number of childhood stunting cases, the Indonesian Government is aiming to elevate the health standard of the nation with the end goal of producing superior and competitive human resources, Baidlowi said.

The government has implemented several strategic measures to lower the national stunting prevalence rate to 14 percent by next year, he added.

According to the spokesperson, the government succeeded in suppressing the stunting rate from 30.8 percent in 2018 to 21.6 percent in 2022, which translates into a decline of 9.2 percentage points. The decline is 1.5 times more significant than the one recorded during the 2013–2018 period.

"Various countries, including Laos, are taking notes on the Indonesian Government's commitment, efforts, and achievements in stunting alleviation," Baidlowi said.

He further revealed that earlier on July 21 this year, the Laotian Government, through its Chief Cabinet of Health, submitted a request to conduct a study visit to Indonesia, adding that the Indonesian Government accepted the request and both parties agreed to execute the planned visit from September 4-7.

"(The delegation from) The Government of Laos is visiting us with a focus on learning the Indonesian Government's stunting alleviation planning, budgeting, and implementation processes," he said.

During their visit to Indonesia, the Laotian delegates will participate in two series of activities: workshops and classroom learning, involving related ministries and agencies, as well as field visits.

As part of the workshops, the delegates will attend a presentation given by relevant officials from related ministries and agencies before participating in a technical discussion.

Suprayoga Hadi, the Vice Presidential Secretariat's deputy for human development policies support and equitable development, welcomed the arrival of the Laotian delegates and expressed the hope that Indonesia will be able to provide them with valuable information on stunting alleviation.

He said that based on the Global Nutrition Report, at least 22 percent of the world's children are suffering from stunting, with most of them living in Asia.

"Hence, exchange of knowledge between Asian countries is essential to expedite stunting alleviation," he added.

Hadi then said he expects that Laos will be able to learn and follow in Indonesia's steps in handling stunting, considering Laos' stunting prevalence rate is still stuck at above 30 percent.

As part of their field visits, the Laotian delegation is scheduled to pay a visit to the Finance Ministry's office in Jakarta and the office of the Mayor of Depok in West Java.

Furthermore, the delegation will carry out a firsthand review of stunting alleviation efforts at integrated health posts (posyandus) and learn from Indonesia's Sustainable Food Yard Program.

The visiting Laotian delegation consists of government officials from echelon level 1 and level 2 who are in charge of development planning, international cooperation, as well as financial, social, economic, health, and food matters.

Besides the Vice Presidential Secretariat, the Indonesian Government will get nine ministries/government agencies to outline their programs during the delegation's visit:

1. National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN);

2. Ministry of Finance;

3. Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas);

4. Ministry of Health;

5. Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology;

6. Ministry of Agriculture;

7. Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration;

8. Ministry of Home Affairs; and

9. Ministry of Public Housing and Public Works. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that Indonesia is ready to support Cambodia's food security infrastructure by supplying fertilizers and providing training to agriculture workers.

"Indonesia is also ready to support Cambodia's food security infrastructure through fertilizer supply and training," he stated during a bilateral meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday.

At the start of the meeting, Widodo congratulated Manet on his inauguration as Cambodia's Prime Minister on August 22, 2023. He also expressed his gratitude for Cambodia's support for Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN this year.

He also expressed his appreciation to Cambodia for welcoming the rice procurement cooperation plan.

"I appreciate Cambodia's welcoming Indonesia's wish to import rice from Cambodia around 250 thousand tons of rice per year," he said.

The meeting between the two heads of state was held ahead of the 43rd ASEAN Summit, which is scheduled to be held from September 5 to 7 in Jakarta.

Indonesian and Cambodian representatives have previously held a meeting to discuss food security cooperation.

Indonesia's delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pahala N. Mansury, visited Cambodia on August 15 and 16 and met with Cambodia's agriculture minister and high officials.

During the visit, the two countries initiated various collaborations, including the supply of Cambodian rice to Indonesia and Indonesian fertilizers to Cambodia, investment in agriculture and infrastructure, as well as scholarships and training to increase the capacity of Cambodian agricultural human resources.

Food security is a crucial issue that has become a concern of Southeast Asian countries amid the threat of global food crisis and the impact of climate change.

Ahead of the ASEAN Summit, several heads of state arrived in Indonesia on Sunday and Monday.

The leaders include Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodian PM Hun Manet, Laotian PM Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, and Cook Islands PM Mark Brown.

The 43rd ASEAN Summit will be held as part of Indonesia's chairmanship of the bloc this year.

The theme of Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship is "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth". Through the theme, Indonesia is seeking to ensure ASEAN remains relevant in facing future challenges and encourage stability and peace in the region.

Indonesia is also aiming to continuously strengthen concrete cooperation in Southeast Asia to make the region the center of global economic growth. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - ASEAN foreign ministers have agreed to recommend the adoption of the ASEAN Vision 2045 by leaders at the 43rd ASEAN Summit, which will take place in Jakarta from September 5 to 7, 2023.

"The foreign ministers agreed to recommend several documents to the leaders, including the ASEAN Vision 2045," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi told the press after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) in Jakarta on Monday.

The ASEAN Vision 2045 was initiated by Indonesia as a new guideline for the bloc after 2025, as part of ASEAN Concord IV.

ASEAN member countries have signed three key declarations: Bali Concord I (1976), Bali Concord II (2003) and Bali Concord III (2011).

Bali Concord I regulates a code of ethical behavior among ASEAN member countries to prioritize peaceful methods for resolving disputes.

Bali Concord II is an ASEAN agreement to develop a community based on the political and security, economic, and sociocultural pillars.

The 2011 ASEAN Summit resulted in the Declaration on the ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations, known as Bali Concord III.

Bali Concord III aims to ensure the active participation and contribution of ASEAN in resolving various fundamental global issues.

During the meeting on Monday, ASEAN foreign ministers also welcomed Luxembourg's intention to access the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), accepted Morocco as a sectoral partner, and accepted the Netherlands as a development partner.

The 43rd ASEAN Summit will be held as part of Indonesia's chairmanship of the bloc this year. Earlier, it had hosted the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, in May.

Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship theme is "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", which aligns with its vision of building a resilient, adaptive, and inclusive ASEAN. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Monday conveyed the hopes of developing countries for the realization of a fairer global financial system to the World Bank.

During a meeting with World Bank president Ajay Banga at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Monday, Widodo said: "I am sure that President Banga is aware of the various criticisms of the World Bank, including by the UN Secretary-General regarding the lack of attention to the interests of developing countries."

His meeting with 14th President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga​​​​​​​ was a part of the 43rd ASEAN Summit meeting series. The ASEAN Summit agenda is taking place from September 2–7, 2023, in Jakarta.

According to Widodo, Indonesia and other developing countries have high hopes from the World Bank of creating a fairer global financial system.

"Indonesia and other developing countries have high hopes for you to create a global financial system that is fairer for all, especially for developing countries," he emphasized.

According to the head of state, the uncertainty in the current global situation is affecting the development of developing countries.

He then called for cross-stakeholder collaboration to deal with this situation.

"I want to explore the potential for World Bank collaboration with Indonesia and ASEAN to answer this challenge," he stated.

He then conveyed Indonesia's commitment to the development of new, renewable energy (EBT).

He also encouraged the strengthening of the commitment to realize financing and investment in green energy and the economic transition.

"We have made various breakthroughs, including the development of EBT and efforts to implement a carbon tax. However, not all countries can meet the need for green financing," he pointed out.

Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati; Minister of State Secretary Pratikno; and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pahala Mansury, accompanied President Widodo to Monday's meeting.  (Antaranews)