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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