VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has responded positively to Indonesia's membership request, according to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.

"Our interest has received a positive response from the OECD considering the constructive cooperative relationship between the Indonesian government and the OECD, Indonesia's leadership role in various global forums, and Indonesia's good economic performance," he said in a statement received here on Wednesday.

The minister informed that Indonesia is currently focusing on using its demographic advantage to achieve its vision of becoming a high-income developed country, as outlined in the 2025–2045 National Long-Term Development Final Draft (RPJPN) and Golden Indonesia 2045 plan.

According to him, Indonesia's accession process to OECD will support the structural reforms at the domestic level, which are currently being actively carried out by the government.

The reforms will promote efficiency and harmonization of policies to create a level playing field for the business world, he added.

This will encourage the government to become actively involved in global discussions and give it an opportunity to participate in setting global standards followed by OECD countries, Hartarto explained.

He said that becoming a member of the OECD will also provide reputational advantages and increase investor confidence due to Indonesia adhering to advanced and trusted policy standards.

"OECD has shared with Indonesia the experience of other OECD member countries in taking advantage of demographic bonuses and things that must be considered to become a developed country with high income per capita," he disclosed.

The OECD is an international organization that was formed based on the 1960 Paris Convention and is based in Paris, France.

The OECD is pursuing the goal of achieving economic growth, creating jobs, and increasing the living standards of member countries through economic promotion and resource development.

Currently, Indonesia has become a key OECD partner along with Brazil, China, India, and South Africa.

At present, the OECD has 38 members with their average gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2022 recorded at US$43,260.7, according to World Bank data.

Of the 38 OECD countries, two are classified as middle-high income countries with US$4,466–US$13,845 per capita, namely Colombia (US$6,630.3 per capita) and Costa Rica (US$13,198.8 per capita), while the other OECD members are classified as high-income countries.

Indonesia reached the category of upper middle income countries in 2022 with an income per capita of US$4,580.

The Indonesian Government and the OECD cooperation framework is covered by the Framework Cooperation Agreement (FCA) and the Joint Work Program (JWP).

Areas of cooperation between the two parties are regulated according to Indonesia's national priority agenda. Currently, the FCA for the 2022–2027 period and the JWP for the 2022–2025 period are being applied.

There are four pillars of cooperation in the 2022–2025 JWP, namely macroeconomic policy, tax compliance, and good governance; business climate and digitalization; human capital and social inclusion; and sustainable development. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta -  A letter of intent (LoI) between West Sumatra and Phnom Penh in Cambodia could potentially open new opportunities for the regional tourism sector, according to the head of the West Sumatra Tourism Office, Luhur Budianda.

"We must be able to make the most of this opportunity," he said in Padang on Wednesday.

He informed that a group of 80 Cambodians arrived in West Sumatra on Monday (July 31, 2023) and visited a number of tourist destinations, including Pagaruyung Palace in Tanah Datar.

"They were very impressed during their visit to West Sumatra. They liked the natural beauty, enjoyed the culture, and most importantly, they appreciated the culinary delights of West Sumatra," he said.

These factors are the capital for developing the tourism market in Cambodia, he added, especially with the LoI of sister provinces, which also covers tourism.

Budianda said that in the future, he will carefully prepare a plan for the Cambodian market in preparation for the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between West Sumatra and Phnom Penh.

West Sumatra Governor, Mahyeldi, has asked the relevant regional apparatus organizations (OPD) to start drawing up plans so that when the MoU with Phnom Penh is signed, it can be implemented immediately.

"This LoI is an agreement for cooperation. We hope that this MoU in cooperation with Phnom Penh can be signed as soon as possible. OPD must have an action plan one year after signing it," he said.

West Sumatra's Head of the Government and Regional Autonomy Bureau, Doni Rahmat Samulo, said the LoI signed by the two provinces covers tourism, youth, creative economy, trade, and culture. (antaranewS)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan have agreed on a new partnership on innovation and sustainability to mark 50 years of relations, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn, said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"Both sides have agreed to build a new partnership, which is 'ASEAN-Japan Co-Creation Vision,' that anchors on innovation and sustainability and is driven by the private sector," Hourn informed at a press conference on the "15th Dialogue between the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA)."

He said that the partnership is intended to create a new era of ASEAN-Japan economic relations for the next 50 years.

According to Hourn, FJCCIA has provided recommendations based on the four main pillars of the "ASEAN-Japan Co-Creation Vision," which are in accordance with the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF).

The four pillars are broader economic integration, comprehensive digital transformation, progress toward a more sustainable and resilient future, and human capital development.

Hourn further said that ASEAN has started negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and make it not only useful and impactful, but also more relevant to the business sector.

"The upgrade of ATIGA will further simplify the rules of origin for goods, expand the adoption of digital technologies and paperless documents, and facilitate trade for MSMEs...and (help in) promoting digital trade within the region, including between ASEAN and Japan," he said.

ATIGA aims to create a free flow of goods in the region, resulting in less trade barriers and closer economic ties among member countries.

In addition, the agreement also seeks to create lower business costs, increased trade, and larger markets and economies of scale for businesses.

Through ATIGA, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand have removed intra-ASEAN entry fees in 99.65 percent of their tariff lines, while Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam have reduced import duties to 0–5 percent in 98.86 percent of their tariff lines.

The "15th dialogue between the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the FJCCIA" was also attended by the Japanese Ambassador to ASEAN, Masahiko Kiya; chair of the FJCCIA, Hiroyuki Ueda; and executive vice president of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Mio Kawada.

ASEAN consists of 10 countries: Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. During the 2022 ASEAN Summit, Timor Leste was, in principle, accepted as the 11th member of ASEAN. (Antaranews)

North Korea denounced the new U.S. special envoy on the country's human rights issues, Julie Turner, as a "wicked" person who has resorted to "mudslinging" while interfering in other countries' internal affairs.

Turner, former director of the State Department's Office of East Asia and the Pacific in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, was nominated by President Joe Biden to the position in January and confirmed last week by the Senate.

An unnamed spokesperson of what North Korea's state media called the Association for Human Rights Studies said Turner had earned "notoriety" for "mudslinging" over human rights issues and "spitting out coarse invective" against the country.

"Her absurd remarks are nothing but grumbles of either a person ignorant of even the concept of human rights or a human rights abuser embodying the inveterate bad habit of the U.S. which revels in meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and slandering it," the spokesperson said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

The appointment of "such a wicked woman" highlights Washington's hostile policy toward Pyongyang, it said, warning of "retaliatory action of justice."

In a separate dispatch, KCNA accused France of escalating tension by sending fighter jets for joint air drills with South Korea.

The air forces of South Korea and France held their first bilateral exercises last week, marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. French troops fought in the battle as part of U.N. forces.

"This is an irresponsible act that fuels tension in the already sensitive Korean peninsula and an outright military provocation that threatens our security interests by taking advantage of the U.S. hostile policy towards us," KCNA said, citing a researcher named Ryu Gyong Chol. (Reuters)