VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated the Indonesian G20 presidency encourages concrete steps for three priority areas, namely the global health architecture, digital economic transformation and energy transition.

Airlangga Hartarto in a written statement last Thursday 17 February said in the health sector an important aspect promoted by the Indonesian Presidency is the global response and inclusiveness in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for the affordability and accessibility of vaccines and strengthening the global health architecture.

Regarding digital transformation efforts, Airlangga said Indonesia emphasized the importance of the availability of digital infrastructure or hardware such as fiber optic networks so that various digital platforms can be affordable and easily accessible. He gave an example of a government program, namely the Pre-Employment Card as part of digital transformation in the form of a digital training mechanism to improve the quality of Indonesian human resources. Training in the form of skilling, reskilling and upskilling is done digitally. The Pre-Employment Card is also a semi-social assistance platform for people affected by the pandemic.

For the energy transition, Indonesia is reviewing the appropriate financing mechanism in order to realize transformation steps that are driven by investment in renewable energy. This sector is being developed in various regions in Indonesia, including related to hydropower and diesel/ carbon capture and storage technology, all of which require a large amount of financing. Airlangga Hartarto added in line with the Glasgow Climate Pact, Indonesia has also launched an innovative financing scheme in order to accelerate the closure of coal-based power plants.

He revealed, Indonesia is cooperating with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) through the Energy Transition Mechanism and utilizing ammonia gas for power generation. For that innovative financing solutions and schemes and international support are really needed and this is in line with the Glasgow's commitment. The focus of the Indonesian government regarding the electricity aspect is affordability and availability of technology and commitment to implementation.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo calls world leaders to stop rivalry and tension in various regions so that the world recovery process is not disrupted.

During a virtual speech at the opening of the First G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting from the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, Thursday (17/2), President Joko Widodo appealed to the world leaders to focus on synergizing and collaborating to save and revive the world.

He further stated that on one hand, the revival of one region will revive another. On the other hand, the collapse of one area will also collapse other areas. Thereby, he emphasized that such a situation is not the time to put forward rivalries or create new tensions that disrupt the world's recovery. Moreover, causing conflict may endanger the safety of the world, as it is happening in Ukraine nowadays.

The President also said that global uncertainty must be faced by working together to control inflation which tends to increase. In addition, synergistic cooperation is also needed to anticipate food scarcity and increase in prices, as well as to overcome the scarcity of containers and other logistics chains.

According to an energy analyst for the Netherlands-based financial services provider, Rabobank, there are several economic impacts that the world might face if the conflict in Ukraine does not end peacefully, or Russia receives economic sanctions. The Ukraine conflict is said to be able to push up oil prices which have already reached the level of US$ 90 per barrel to US$ 125 per barrel. Meanwhile, the price of gas and major metals will also increase. Other major commodities that will also be affected are wheat, barley, corn, and sunflowers because Russia and Ukraine are the main producers of these agricultural products. In addition, a prolonged conflict will also push the inflation rate in a higher direction.

Hopefully, President Joko Widodo's call to stop rivalry and tension in various regions, so that the world recovery process is not disrupted, will receive a positive response from world leaders. Many parties are optimistic that the meeting of Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors of the G-20 countries can formulate fiscal and monetary policy measures that are in synergy between countries. So, efforts to solve world problems can become a reality. It is fitting that the 'devastation' caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is repaired together, in accordance with the theme of the Indonesian G-20 Presidency, namely, Recover Together, Recover Stronger.

The Governments of both Indonesia and Spain have consistently supported each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. This commitment has been shown in various statements and meetings of high-level officials of the two countries. This is according to a press statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid, obtained by Antara News Agency in Jakarta on Saturday (19/2).

The information was conveyed, following information on social media, which suspected that someone, who claimed as the President of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) met the Spanish Central Senate and was a member of the Senate of the Navarra and Basque Autonomous Regions. The Indonesian Embassy in Madrid had confirmed this matter to the relevant parties and received an explanation that the meeting was in the personal capacity of the member of the senate.

The Indonesian Embassy in Madrid ensures that this activity does not reflect the official attitude of the Spanish government and state which consistently supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.

According to the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid, the spread of hoaxes and distorting facts and misinformation are the main motives. Meanwhile, the Indonesian embassy also continues to communicate with the government and various groups in Spain to provide a comprehensive understanding of Indonesia, including separatist groups and acts of terrorism that only cause suffering for the people.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan worth US$ 150 million to support facilities that can accelerate Indonesia's economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. This loan will later become a catalyst for government and private funding in supporting green and viable infrastructure projects in order to help Indonesia achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Sustainable Development Goals Indonesia One-Green Finance Facility (SIO-GFF) which is the first time in Southeast Asia aims to finance at least 10 projects with a minimum of 70 percent of the financing supporting green infrastructure and the rest supporting the SDGs.

Head of ADB's Green and Innovative Financing Unit for Southeast Asia, Anouj Mehta in a statement in Jakarta Wednesday (16/2) said that the SIO-GFF is intended to be a catalyst for up to eight times the funds he invests in supporting climate-friendly infrastructure and assisting Indonesia's progress towards the SDGs. Anouj Mehta also ensures that this facility will design viable projects to attract funding to complement government spending including from private/institutional and commercial sources. He said the loan to the Indonesian government would be forwarded again to PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur -PT SMI, a state-owned institution for infrastructure financing that will manage the facility.

ADB has also approved technical assistance to help strengthen PT SMI's ability to operate the facility and expand PT SMI's services to support other borrowers and catalyze private funding. The US$1.2 million in technical assistance came from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and US$375,000 from the Luxembourg Financial Sector Development Partnership Special Fund.

According to the ADB report, Indonesia's annual infrastructure financing needs from 2016 to 2020 after including the climate change component are estimated at an average of around US$74 billion with the annual infrastructure financing gap reaching US$51 billion. Overall, the project is in line with Indonesia's 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and follows ADB's country partnership strategy for Indonesia 2020–2024 which focuses on accelerating economic recovery and strengthening resilience.