VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Illustration : UK-Indonesia Tech Hub - 

UK-Indonesia Tech Hub, Thisable Enterprise and Jasa Raharja will be launching “Tech to Empower Summit 2021” to support people with disabilities for career and business development

More than 1000 participants from across Indonesia will be participating in all of the training programmes aimed to support people with disabilities to become digitally-ready and confident entrepreneurs

The virtual launch will be attended by Head of Economic and Digital of British Embassy Jakarta Ginny Ferson, Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia Dr. Dra. Hj. Ida Fauziyah M.Si, Special Staff to Presiden Joko Widodo Ibu Angkie Yudistia and Rivan A. Purwantono as President Director of Jasa Raharja Rivan A. Purwantono dan COO of Thisable Foundation Nicky Clara. 

“Tech to Empower Summit 2021” is set to launch on 20 December 2021 by the UK-Indonesia Tech Hub and ThisAble Enterprise supported by Jasa Raharja. This will mark the first of many summits which will deliver a variety of events for people with disabilities such as Job Fair Expo as the main highlight, MSME (UMKM) Expo to support the growing entrepreneurs with disabilities along with various webinar sessions for career and business development. The summit was formed as the culmination of all the training programmes which supports people with disabilities to become digitally-ready and confident entrepreneurs, which will also involve more than 1000 participants with disabilities from across Indonesia.

This event essentially symbolises the progress Indonesia is making to open up wider employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, as well as supporting the government in providing equal employment opportunities. The launch of the summit also marks the completion of Tech to Empower: Digitally Ready Entrepreneurs 2021, a programme which has empowered 350 people with disabilities throughout Indonesia. Tech to Empower Summit 2021 will be held for three days, starting from 20 December to 22 December 2021. All activities and information can be accessed via https://summit.thisable.org/

According to a release recevied by Voice of Indonesia on Sunday (19/12/21), The opening ceremony of the Tech to Empower Summit 2021 will feature Head of Economic and Digital of British Embassy Jakarta Ginny Ferson, Dr. Dra. Hj. Ida Fauziyah M.Si as Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, Angkie Yudistia as Special Staff to the President of the Republic of Indonesia for Social Affairs, Rivan A. Purwantono as President Director of Jasa Raharja, Nicky Clara as COO of Thisable Foundation.

“The UK government is fully committed to supporting the rights of disabled persons. Our Equality Act 2010 ensures protection from discrimination for disabled persons in all areas, including employment, education and access to services and facilities. This commitment is also reflected in our programme overseas and Tech to Empower is one of them. Digital technology has the potential to empower and change our lives, including for those with disabilities. Businesses and industries should acknowledge the benefits of having a diverse workforce including people with disabilities. We look forward to working with the Indonesian government and other stakeholders in ensuring that the employment system at all levels is inclusive and geared towards supporting disabled people so that they can achieve their full potential and participate equally in society”, ahead of the launch British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Owen Jenkins said. 

Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer of Thisable, Nicky Claraentia Pratiwi said that This Tech to Empower Summit program includes a job fair, as well as an MSME exhibition whose participants are all 1000+ persons with disabilities who are beneficiaries in the training program that has been provided by Thisable and its partners during 2021. This is certainly a concrete step that were taking together in empowering friends with disabilities, as well as building an inclusive work environment by embracing  all sectors to make it happen together//VOI-NK

Screenshot - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi gives her welcome speech in the virtual meeting of Indonesian-Jamaican business players that was held to celebrate the 40-year diplomatic relationship of the two countries. (ANTARA/HO-Indonesian Embassy in Havana/KT) - 

Indonesia and Jamaica commemorated their 40 years of diplomatic relations by holding a virtual meeting between business players  of the two countries.

The virtual meeting, which was officially opened by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, brought together more than one hundred Indonesian and Jamaican business actors, according to Indonesian Embassy in Havana's statement received here on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith was also present in the commemoration event.

In her opening remarks, Marsudi said that during 40 years of Indonesia-Jamaica diplomatic relations, the two countries have established good trust and cooperation in a number of fields.

"This virtual business meeting will bring the closeness of the business community of Indonesia and Jamaica to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries," she explained.

Meanwhile, Smith highlighted that since the establishment of the Jamaica-Indonesia Joint Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation in 1996, the two countries have worked together in the fields of agriculture, tourism and research.

"Jamaica looks forward to continuing to improve bilateral relations especially in the field of trade and investment with Indonesia," she added.

In the aspect of social service, Smith also praised some Indonesian nationals  for serving Jamaican people through the Missionaries for the Poor in Kingston. Currently, she said, there are 20 Indonesian missionaries living in Jamaica.

On the same occasion, Indonesian Ambassador to Cuba and Jamaica Nana Yuliana said that Jamaica is one of Indonesia's important trade partners in the Caribbean region, as shown in Indonesia's trade volumes to Jamaica that were surplus in 2020 and 2021.

In 2020, Indonesia recorded a surplus of US$15.89 million (Rp228 billion) in its trade with Jamaica. Meanwhile, in  the period of January-September 2021, Indonesia's  trade surplus with Jamaica was US$11.81 million (Rp169 billion).

"Hopefully, the  value of Indonesia-Jamaica  trade continues to increase and be equal with the help of a good commitment both from the Indonesian Honorary Consul and cooperation in some excellent sectors including sports and education," Yuliana said//ANT

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs. (ANTARA/HO-Kemenko Perekonomian) - 

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has said Indonesia's G20 presidency helps boost global investor confidence and accelerate the national economic recovery.

"Economically, this will boost the confidence of global investors, accelerate the national economic recovery," Hartarto said in a statement here on Sunday.

During the presidency, Indonesia is expected to enjoy domestic consumption surge by Rp1.7 trillion, GDP increase by Rp7.47 trillion, and involvement of some 33 thousand workers in various industrial sectors.

In addition to providing benefits for national economic recovery, Airlangga Hartarto also said that as the G20 President, Indonesia has an important role in bridging the diversity that exists in the G20 Forum.

Indonesia, which has a philosophy of deliberation and consensus, is expected to be able to bridge between various groups of countries, according to the minister.

"Indonesia and the world community are waiting for the Indonesian G20 Presidency to foresight, inclusive policies and take concrete steps beyond political narratives," he stated.

President Joko Widodo hoped to see the G20 as a platform for economic cooperation in three sectors, namely global health architecture, economic transformation through digitalization, and the transition to sustainable energy, he noted.

"We feel the benefits of digital technology in various sectors and of course we will continue to encourage sectors that can become new growth engines as the value of the digital economy itself," he said.

He expected input from all stakeholders, including experts and academics, to maximize the benefits of Indonesia's G20 Presidency, so that Indonesia is able to make new breakthroughs, including in the energy transition sector for all countries by promoting the adoption of affordable technology, co-financing mechanisms, and sustainable energy transition priorities.

"In this efforts, we will involve the participation of scientists and academics who are members of Think 20 and Science 20 and expected to contribute to the three fields, especially the energy transition," he said//ANT

A kid inspecting eel in Agam. (Antara photos/Yusrizal/my) - 

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry collaborates with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in sustainable management of eels on account of  the very low survival rate of their seeds.

"Fish resources in Indonesia, including diverse eels, need to be managed responsibly in order to ensure their sustainability and provide prosperity for the eel fishing community," Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said in a press release received here on Sunday.

He explained that the application of conservation principles, and the involvement of stakeholders in the management of eel resources, were expected to ensure the sustainability of eel resources in Indonesia.

Currently, around 80 percent of the global eel consumption was sourced from cultivation, but the seeds still came from natural catches, he said.

In addition, the survival rate of eel seeds is very low, thus its commercialization could disrupt the stability of the eel population in the habitat.

This certainly threatens the national eel population, as it has happened in Japan and Europe. In Indonesia, one of the development areas for eel cultivation is Sukabumi District, West Java Province, on the Cimandiri River.

The development of eel cultivation by improving the survival rate of eels in the critical phase from seed to tiller is part of the collaboration between FAO, the ministry, and the Sukabumi District Government, through the iFish Project. The project, which received financial assistance from the Global Environment Fund, utilized Sukabumi's Tonjong Fish Seed Center as the location to demonstrate growth of small eels.

The head of the Fisheries Research Center, Yayan Hikmayani, stated that previous efforts have succeeded in increasing the survival rate of seeds by 60 percent.

"The higher the survival rate, the less seeds that need to be taken from nature, so that it can reduce pressure on the eel population," she said.

IFish project collaboration with FAO and Sukabumi District had been ongoing since 2018, she remarked. The main focus of the collaboration was to generate a policy from inland water biodiversity conservation principles through demonstrations and sustainable utilization, especially for eel species.

Head of Sukabumi District, Marwan Hamami, deemed Palabuhan Ratu Bay waters one of the strategic waterways for the eel seed route in southern Java. "With the abundant seed resources, Sukabumi District will develop a long-term program for the utilization and management of eel fisheries, and make Sukabumi District an icon of eel producer in Indonesia," Hamami said.

National Project Manager for the FAO-IFish project, Sudarsono, said that Sukabumi Government would work together with other stakeholders to continue the IFish project in 2022 to create several policies, such as regional regulations for Inland Fishery Management, and the Master Plan for Management of Eel Fisheries in Sukabumi District//ANT