VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Ice melted in Antarctica - 

Geneva, WMO - The World Meteorological Organization will elevate the cryosphere to one of its top priorities, given the increasing impacts of diminishing sea ice, melting glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost and snow on sea level rise, water-related hazards and water security, economies and ecosystems.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Monday, the World Meteorological Congress, WMO’s top decision-making body, endorsed a new resolution calling for more coordinated observations and predictions, data exchange, research and services. It proposes to ramp up activities, with a proposed increased in funding from the regular budget and extrabudgetary funding.

Delegates from around the world voiced concern that what happens in Polar and high mountain areas affects the whole globe, in particular small island states and densely populated coastal zones.

“The cryosphere issue is a hot topic not just for the Arctic and Antarctic, but it is a global issue,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.

Sue Barrell (Australia) and Diane Campbell (Canada) who are co-chairs of the WMO’s, Executive Council’s Panel on Polar and High Mountains Observations, Research, and Services, outlined the challenges and the need for urgent action.

Well over a billion people rely on water from snow and glacier melt, carried downstream by the major river basins of the world. The irreversible changes in the global cryosphere will therefore affect adaptation strategies and access to water resources.

Arctic permafrost is melting and is a “sleeping giant” of greenhouse gases. Arctic permafrost stores twice as much carbon as in the atmosphere today. Thawing mountains and Arctic permafrost creases increased risk of natural cascading hazards.

Glaciers, Greenland and Antarctica ice sheet melt accounts for about 50 percent of sea level rise, which is accelerating. This is having growing and cascading impacts on small island developing states and densely populated coastal areas.

Cryosphere changes in mountain areas are leading to an increased risk of hazards such as rockslides, glacier detachments and floods. For example, Pakistan has surveyed more than 3000 glacial lakes, of which 36 were potentially dangerous and at high risk for outburst. It suffered numerous glacial lake outbursts and flash floods in 2022 – a year which saw extreme and prolonged heat in March and April and devastating floods in September and October.

There is a need for coordination of activities in Antarctic carried out by Members to meet needs for meteorological data and services and for environmental monitoring and climate research. 

The resolution calls for greater investment and mobilization of activities well beyond the WMO community. It sets out the high-level priorities and proposed actions, which are linked to WMO’s Long-Term Goal. 

The urgency of global and regional emerging risks from the changing cryosphere in a changing climate, is understood and reflected in the workplans of WMO bodies and in global frameworks.

Collaborative and coordinated technical mechanisms are optimized to support advancing service delivery by Members, to address relevant gaps in polar and high mountain regions, at all scales.

Earth system predictions are enhanced through closing gaps in polar and high mountain observations; improving data sharing; and improved numerical models integrating research on cryospheric processes.

Partnerships and collaboration with research and external stakeholders advance knowledge sharing and amplify the existing capacity to deliver services, in a regional relevant manner.

Antarctica: Members’ collaboration in collecting and sharing observations, conducting research, and developing and providing services, is enhanced.

Sea level rise, ice and glaciers are among the climate indicators monitored by WMO and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The WMO State of the Global Climate 2022 report highlighted the rapid change//VOI

UK Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Owen Jenkins - 

British Embassy Jakarta and The Indonesian Ministry of Health will launch a Regulatory Sandbox, a testing mechanism for digital health innovators for assessing the reliability of its business process, business models, technology and governance across Indonesia.

The launch will be held in the margins of Health Innovation Day on Tue, 30 May 2023 at the Ministry of Health and will be attended by British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Owen Jenkins and Vice Minister of Health dr. Dante Saksono Harbuwono with Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin is scheduled to deliver his speech. 

The regulatory sandbox invite regulators and service providers to jointly explore innovative business models and analyse risks to society, while developing regulations. Lessons learned during the testing process will be shared as recommendations for the development of evidence-based regulations to support the increase of Indonesia’s digital healthcare innovations.

This aims to continue drive the innovation of tele-health industry, whilst supporting the Ministry of Health’s ambition to improve standards for telemedicine in Indonesia and its health care services.

More than 60 applications from healthcare innovators had been received from all over Indonesia, 15 of them will be selected to join Regulatory Sandbox programme.
The UK has first proven the benefit of this approach for its Financial-tech sector.

First established in 2015, the sandbox offers the UK fintech industries a controlled and safe testing environment to foster innovation at early stages of development. Since then, many others have adopted this approach and embraced the sandbox as a means of providing a dynamic, evidence-based regulatory environment to test emerging technologies. 

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Monday, The UK Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Owen Jenkins said that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards adoption of digital technology and this regulatory sandbox is the first big step that brings together regulators and key business players to help improve standards for the future of healthcare innovation. 

Digital health transformation enables better access for the community to obtain standardised and quality health services. This supports improvements in life quality and life expectancy. 

"The UK government stands ready to support Indonesia’s effort in transforming its health technology, in particular to support the Development of Health Innovation Ecosystem through the Regulatory Sandbox. I look forward to continuing our partnership as we promote increased networks and connections between the UK and Indonesia’s sectors of digital health and medical technology” Ambassador added. //VOI

Coordination Meeting for the Preservation of Archipelago Ancient Manuscripts in 2023 - 

Head of the National Library of Indonesia (Perpusnas) Muhammad Syarif Bando said that Indonesia has tens of thousands of manuscripts that must be transferred to the media and converted to a new format so that the contents are easy to access and understand.

This was conveyed at the Coordination Meeting for the Preservation of Archipelago Ancient Manuscripts in 2023 which was held Monday (29/5/2023).

The Head of National Library of Indonesia continues to encourage that an inventory of ancient manuscripts of the Archipelago can be carried out in terms of their scientific subject. That way the values ​​and messages contained therein can be implemented.

"We want the contents of the manuscripts we have to be understood and then created and conveyed to the public," he said.

According to the Head of National Library, in the ancient manuscripts of the Archipelago or Indonesian manuscripts there is a lot of knowledge, human values, and the basic values ​​of human relations with nature.

“Ancient texts are priceless treasures. Through the ancient manuscripts of the Archipelago we can also learn the importance of understanding the historical journey of our ancestors and the nation's historical journey so that we can be at this point, he added.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Monday, digitizing manuscripts should also be one of the library's priorities. National Library of Indonesia has stored 15 percent or as many as 12,361 manuscripts from a total of manuscript bags spread throughout Indonesia. But only 4,515 of them have been digitized. In this coordination meeting the National Library of Indonesia asked for support from various parties so that efforts to preserve and digitize ancient manuscripts of the Archipelago could continue to be accelerated.

This is because most of the ancient manuscripts are now more than 50 years old and are at risk of being damaged due to Indonesia's tropical climate and hot weather that occurs throughout the year.

Deputy for Human, Community and Cultural Development, Ministry of National Development Planning/BAPPENAS, Amich Alhumami understands that conservation efforts are one that is difficult to get attention. This is because the issue of manuscript preservation is considered to only have a direct impact on certain segments of society.

"The issue of manuscript preservation is still being defeated by infrastructure, creative industries, and agriculture, for example, which are considered more strategic and have a direct impact on society," said Amich.

In fact, according to Amich, efforts to save the ancient manuscripts of the archipelago are fundamental as the foundation of the Indonesian nation's identity, culture and civilization. Therefore, he emphasized that the efforts made by the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas in efforts to preserve ancient manuscripts of the Archipelago were carried out through the support of budget planning.

"In the long-term development plan (RPJP) that we are currently compiling, we are preparing a section on cultural development that cannot be shifted or transferred. We will continue to monitor the idea of ​​promoting and preserving culture in which there is also a message about preserving cultural values ​​through the preservation of ancient manuscripts so that they can continue to be included in the short, medium and long term development plans," he explained.

Amich also advised that sources of funding in efforts to preserve ancient manuscripts of the Archipelago do not always have to rely on the government. According to him, there are many parties, both the private sector, business actors and industry who have shown extraordinary interest in being an alternative source of financing for efforts to collect and conserve ancient manuscripts.

"Our commitment is also reflected in terms of infrastructure and facilities that are getting more feasible every year, and technology support can also continue to be adopted," he concluded.

Chairman of the Archipelago Manuscript Society (MANASSA) Munawar Holil, who is familiarly called Mumu, was also present as a guest speaker, revealing that the role of the community in efforts to preserve Archipelago manuscripts has been realized through various efforts made through MANASSA.

"The manuscript has not been preserved and a good study has not been carried out which prompted the presence of MANASSA in 1996. Currently MANASSA has 588 members from various backgrounds," he said.

According to Mumu, in an effort to save the ancient manuscripts of the Archipelago, the assistance and appreciation for researchers and owners of ancient manuscripts still needs to be increased considering that currently requests for manuscript studies at various universities are decreasing. Creative works also need to be reproduced to attract public interest to pay more attention to ancient manuscripts//VOI

The Governor of the State of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Margaret Beazley AC KC visit Jakarta Governor office - 

The Governor of the State of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Margaret Beazley AC KC, is carry out visits to Indonesia to strengthen diplomatic relations, trade, and relations between the peoples of NSW and Indonesia. This visit on 25-27 May is his first official visit to Indonesia as Governor of New South Wales and was centered in Jakarta which has a sister state relationship with NSW.  

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Saturday, during the visit, Governor Beazley will meet Indonesian government officials, prominent local business leaders, members of the Indonesia Australia Business Council and the Chamber of Commerce Indonesia, as well as alumni of New South Wales educational institutions. She will also open an Exhibition The first New South Wales Education in Jakarta, which will feature world-class education available in NSW for international students.

“Indonesia and New South Wales have strong and sincere friendly relations. I very pleased to say that this friendship continues to grow,” said Gov. Beazley.

“More than half of Indonesian students in Australia choose to study in New South Wales and businesses in our state are increasingly seeing growth opportunities in Indonesia. This is happy moment. It is a great honor to meet officials and Indonesian leaders in business and education, to listen and learn, as well to move New South Wales forward.”

"I am pleased to welcome the Governor of New South Wales to Indonesia. For decades, New South Wales and Indonesia have enjoyed a close partnership in the areas of trade, investment and education. Governor Beazley's visit was an opportunity to explore new partnerships in fast-growing sectors such as digital, fintech, and healthcare. I can't wait to see this relationship continues to grow,” said Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Penny Williams PSM//VOI