VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Secretary General of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics Mira Tayyiba during the virtual event "Indonesian Leadership in Digital Issues at the G20 Forum", Wednesday (26/1). (ANTARA/Screenshot) - 

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) assessed that the G20 Presidency of Indonesia will be beneficial for the national agenda.

"The country is fortunate that our national agenda can be raised at an international forum," the ministry's Secretary General Mira Tayyiba stated during a virtual event on "Indonesian Leadership in Digital Issues at the G20 Forum" here on Wednesday.

Indonesia, until November this year, hosted the G20 international forum. During this year, the forum is expected to feature over 150 activities. Meanwhile, the G20 Summit is scheduled to take place in Bali in November.

The government agreed that the G20 forum activities would not only be held in Jakarta and Bali but also in nine other cities.

The forum was deliberately held in various cities, with the objective of improving the local economy that was experiencing a crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the G20 activities were held in compliance with strict health protocols.

"We want to use the G20 not only to demonstrate that Indonesia can be a leader but also to spur the local economy," Tayyiba remarked.

The ministry was appointed to be in charge of digital issues during Indonesia's G20 Presidency. Apart from hosting the G20 for the first time, Indonesia is also the first chairman of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG), a working group formed in 2021.

DEWG is an upgrade from the Digital Economy Task Force created in 2017 during Germany's G20 Presidency.

DEWG is a working group formed to discuss the use of digital technology, through the exchange of information and ideas, and to seek a common understanding of policies that drive the digital economy.

At the forum, the ministry raised three priority issues: connectivity and post-pandemic recovery; digital literacy and proficiency; and the flow of data across national borders.

The connectivity issue that will be discussed by the working group is not only about internet access but also about connectivity between people.

Meanwhile, Kominfo encourages G20 member countries to have the same standards regarding digital literacy and proficiency.

The Indonesian government is developing the G20 Toolkit for Measuring Digital Skills and Digital Literacy that will serve as a measure of the digital literacy and skills readiness as well as be a common reference for G20 member countries.

The final issue is about the flow of data across national borders. Regarding this issue, Kominfo deems it necessary to have an agreement with member countries to protect data, including for personal data protection and safeguarding against cyberattacks.

Data circulating around the world daily is estimated to reach 453 billion gigabytes by 2025//ANT

Illustration—A worker takes part in oil-well drilling. (ANTARA/HO-Pertamina) - 

Indonesia will propose collaboration on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) during its G20 Presidency, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said.

"The CCUS program at G20 will mirror our country’s serious commitment to protecting the environment. The program is one of the consequences for the countries that have ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change," the ministry's Oil and Gas Director General Tutuka Ariadji informed in a press release issued here on Wednesday.

During its year-long G20 Presidency from December 1, 2021, to November 2022, Indonesia will take up three key topics: the global health system, economic transformation, digital and energy transition, he said.

As part of this agenda, Indonesia should establish multilateral cooperation with other G20 members so that CCUS becomes one of the collaborative projects at the forum, Ariadji highlighted.

The G20 forum comprises 19 countries: South Africa, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Russia, France, China, Turkey, and the European Union.

“Indonesia has established cooperation with Japan, but it is not enough. Larger-scale cooperation with other countries is necessitated,” Ariadji said.

Canada and the US are among the countries that must be engaged since they have experience in implementing CCUS, he added.

"We have enough time to establish multilateral cooperation to highlight CCUS as one of the collaborative projects in G20," he remarked.

In accordance with the theme of its presidency, “Recover Together, Recover Stronger,” Indonesia has appealed to the world to work hand-in-hand to achieve a stronger and sustainable recovery, he noted.

At least 150 activities will be organized as part of the G20 Presidency meetings, encompassing working groups, engagement groups, deputies/sherpa, ministerial meetings, G20 Summit, and other side activities, he said.

CCUS or CCS will be one of the topics that will be taken up during the G20’s side meetings this year, he added//ANT

The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia increased significantly within the last few days, Head of State-owned Healthcare and Social Security Agency's (BPJS Kesehatan's) Supervisory Board Acmad Yurianto stated.

"Recently, this COVID-19 pandemic could not be considered as not dangerous," Yurianto noted while delivering his statement during a virtual unveiling event on Zoom on Wednesday.

"Within the last several days, on January 23-25, 2022, there was an extraordinary surge in terms of the number of cases," he elaborated.

Head of the State-owned Healthcare and Social Security Agency's (BPJS Kesehatan's) Supervisory Board Acmad Yurianto during a virtual unveiling event on Zoom on Wednesday (January 26, 2022). (ANTARA PHOTO/Andi Firdaus/FR) - 

The daily addition of cases on January 22-25, 2022, started from 3,205 patients, 2,925 patients, 2,927 patients, and reached up to 8,878 patients.

This figure should be an eye-opener that the threat of COVID-19 infection lurks among the people, he remarked.

If observed further, of the 1,766 Omicron cases identified domestically, almost half of them were local transmissions, he highlighted.

"This means they do not come from international travel," he explained.

Yurianto encouraged the public to comply with health protocols set by the government in order to prevent infection.

Everyone should have a strong commitment to upholding health protocols by wearing a mask, avoiding crowding, and washing their hands (3M), he noted.

In addition, travelling, specifically international travel, should be restricted only for important or urgent activities.

It is also important for people to get vaccinated.

"Remember, this virus never went to school. It never picks which one it will infect. Let us hope that this could become the reference for us to comply with the health protocols," Yurianto remarked.

According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of January 24, 2022, at least 4,289,305 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the country.

Meanwhile, 4,124,211 people had recovered and 144,227 people had succumbed to the disease//ANT

Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Kemayoran, Jakarta. (ANTARA PHOTO/Muhammad Adimaja) - 

As many as 2,946 COVID-19 patients are currently undergoing treatment at Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Kemayoran, Jakarta, head of information for Joint Regional Defense Command I, Marine Colonel Aris Mudian, has said.

According to a statement received here on Wednesday, the number of inpatients at Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital declined by 11 to 2,946 on Wednesday from 2,957 the previous day.

On January 19, 2022, the number of COVID-19 patients receiving treatment at the emergency hospital was 2,615. Within a week, their number increased by 331, he added.

Meanwhile, between March 23, 2020, and January 26, 2022, the total number of patients referred to Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital reached 136,872, he said.

Of the 136,872 patients, 132,248 patients were declared recovered, while 1,082 patients were referred to other hospitals, he added.

The number of patients who succumbed to COVID-19 at the hospital reached 596 as of Wednesday, he said.

He then provided an update on Galang Island's Special Hospital for Infection (RSKI), Batam, Riau Islands.

"At the Galang Island Hospital, the number of inpatients increased by 5," he said.

The number of patients at the hospital increased from 37 patients on Tuesday to 42 patients on Wednesday, he added.

Mudian also provided details on the number of workers and students who have come back from abroad and are currently undergoing isolation at Pademangan Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Jakarta.

Compared with the day before, the number of people undergoing isolation at the hospital fell by 177 on Wednesday, he said.

"Inpatients at Towers 8, 9, and 10 of Wisma Atlet Pademangan Hospital as of Wednesday reached 2,730 people, comprising 1,315 men and 1,415 women," he informed.

Meanwhile, the number of patients at Towers 1, 2, and 3 of Pasar Rumput COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Jakarta, increased by 40 to reach 2,479 on Wednesday from 2,439 patients on Tuesday, he added//ANT