VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Directorate General of Culture at thehe Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology is going to hold the National Culture Week (NCW) this year. Like last year, this year’s NCW is held online due to the Covid-19 situation that has not recovered yet. The implementation of NCW as a culture-based performance amid the pandemic is expected to ensure that the spirit of culture is maintained by the Indonesian people. The theme of the National Culture Week is “Brilliant Archipelago, Guide the Future”. This year’s NCW in 2021 seeks to call on the public to re-recognize the identity and cultural treasure of the nation.

The implementation of NCW 2021 focuses on the local wisdom as the root of cultural resilience. NCW 2021 is set based on clothing, food and housing as fundamental aspects in people's lives. Public Relations of Directorate General of culture, Watie Syar’I explained that with various programs of the NCW, the community is expected to be able to re-discover the wealth of clothing, food and shelter and answer the challenges of life in the future.

We will guide the latest trend to Indonesian pride. Because our food heritage is also extraordinary. Then, housing is related to architecture where to live. It's because our days are also related to that. Now, let's see, we are talking about architecture. Besides the architecture, our food and clothing, we are also so proud of the wealth belonging to Indonesia out there. Obviously, our cultural wealth is extraordinary.

A number of musicians, including top Indonesian bands are ready to enliven the National Culture Week. There are a lot of events, such as culture concert, talk show, culture conference, fashion show, dance, and traditional music will enliven up the National Culture Week this year. The event will be held on 19-26 November 2021. The public can access the event by any platform that has been provided, like the Indonesiana TV cultural channel on Indihome channels 200 (SD) and 916 (HD), the PKN.id page, and also the Budaya Saya Youtube channel. In addition, opening and closing activities can be accessed directly through TVRI.

Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hans Kluge in a virtual press conference from Copenhagen, Denmark, Thursday (4/11) said that Europe is now the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. The continent is reported to account for 59 percent of all cases globally. According to Kluge, the speed of transmission in 53 European countries is currently very alarming. He even said that if this continues, there will probably be half a million deaths from Covid-19 in February.

The day before, WHO had reported a steady increase in the confirmed cases across Europe. Most of the case reports came from the UK, Russia, Turkey and Romania. But sharp increases also occurred in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany. According to AFP, the number of new cases in Europe increases about 250,000 per day for almost six consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, the number of deaths for more than seven weeks also increases with 3,600 deaths per day.

Hans Kluge also cited that uneven vaccination rates, the loosening of public health protocols, and social activities throughout the region are the cause of the spike.According to Kluge, in Europe only 47 percent of the total population has been fully vaccinated. The fact is that vaccines are most effective when used along with other precautions, such as social distancing and wearing of masks. Kluge added that through the use of masks,188,000 lives will be saved between now and February.

For the world community outside Europe, this fact is also concerning. Rich countries in the region that are able to provide sufficient vaccines without cost constraints apparently have not been able to convince all their citizens to get vaccinated. In the name of individual freedom, many European citizens refuse to wear masks and keep distance. They even held demonstrations against the rules for wearing masks. As this continues, the pandemic in the continent will be difficult to control. As Hans Kluge said, the key is vaccination, including wearing masks and social distancing. Three points seem difficult to implement in a society that is said to prioritize individual freedom. Whereas in individual freedom amid this pandemic, there is a responsibility for the safety of others, especially to prevent transmission.

What happens in Europe will certainly bring about a serious impact on other regions, considering the mobility of the world's population starts increasing in line with the decline in Covid-19 cases outside Europe.

Take for example; Indonesia experiences a significant decline in the Covid-19 cases. This country starts opening its international doors. Given the current situation in Europe, the Indonesian government should vigilantly and immediately take appropriate policies regarding the arrival of European citizens so that there will be no more spikes in the Covid-19 cases across Indonesia.

Currently, some countries are meeting at the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland until November 12 2021. This conference aims to accelerate the Paris Agreement in a bid to suppress climate change impact caused by greenhouse gas emission.

The latest report in 2021 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as quoted from wri-indonesia.org revealed that greenhouse gas emission, including carbon dioxide, is the main cause of climate change that results in a chain reaction, such as extreme weather, rising sea level, and disasters like drought and flood.

The global greenhouse gas emission, which has risen by 43% over the last two decades, indicates that a worse climate crisis will happen sooner. All efforts to suppress greenhouse gas emission need to be done right now.

All countries, including Indonesia must join hands in reducing the greenhouse gas emission. Otherwise, there will be a great impact, including the economy.

Indonesia set the 29% greenhouse gas emission reduction target by itself and 41% with international support in 2030. The Indonesian government is committed to achieving that target. The commitment has been written in the Nationally Determined Contribution document.

The Indonesian government is very serious in implementing its commitment to achieve the greenhouse gas emission target. The Indonesian government had implemented various policies and taken strategic moves. One of which was Carbon Economic Value policy.

President Joko Widodo in the COP 26 stated that he had ratified the Presidential Decree on Carbon Economic Value.

Head of Fiscal Policy Agency at the Finance Ministry, Febrio Kacaribu in his official statement, as quoted from kontan.co.id explained that the Presidential Decree on Carbon Economic Value ratification was an important milestone in deciding Indonesian policy towards the NDC target in 2030 and Net Zero Emission in 2060.

The efforts by the Indonesian government in reducing greenhouse gas emission needs cooperation with other countries. It is surely a great work that needs cooperation and a huge fund.

The 2nd Pacific Exposition, a trade, investment, and economic exhibition of the Pacific, earned a transaction worth US$104 million. This exhibition was held on October 27-30 2021 virtually. Indonesian Trade Deputy Minister, Jerry Sambuaga in a press conference on Saturday (30/10) said that the transaction in the 2nd Pacific Exposition resulted from international business interaction. The transaction and business commitment potentials mainly came from Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia.

The 2nd Pacific Exposition was joined by 18 Pacific countries. The business showcased included agriculture, coffee, construction, distributor, entertainment, food and beverage, home furniture, health and beauty, industry, producer, multi-industry, service, technology, textile and fashion, tourism, and trade.Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand, Tantowi Yahya said that there are three products which give the greatest transaction for Indonesian trade from export. They were based on technology, agriculture, and coffee. Even, North Sumatran coffee successfully achieved a transaction worth more than US$11 million. Meanwhile, from import, the greatest contribution for trade value for Indonesia is given by onion. He said that Indonesia imports a lot of onions from New Zealand.

The 2nd Pacific Exposition was attended by 10,825 visitors. This was twice bigger than the 1st Pacific Exposition 2019. The visitors were limited not only from Pacific countries but also from other countries, such as Canada, Malaysia, China, Colombia, Spain, and many others.

Besides trade exhibitions and business meetings, the Pacific Exposition also held seminars on various issues. Ambassador Tantowi Yahya believed the Pacific Exposition will encourage economic recovery and increase regional solidarity and cooperation.

The Indonesian government plans to hold the 3rd Pacific Exposition in 2023. This biannual trade and investment exhibition is expected to be held physically.