VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo, accompanied by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, received the Minister of Armed Forces of the French Republic, Florence Parly (left), at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (February 10, 2022). (ANTARA/HO-Biro Pers Sekretariat Presiden/Lukas/aa) - 

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has reiterated Indonesia's commitment to conserving up to 32.5 million hectares of the national marine area by 2030.

"Our commitment is to achieve 32.5 million hectares of marine conservation area by 2030," he said at the One Ocean Summit, which was broadcast via the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube channel on Friday.

The President also thanked the French leadership for hosting the summit while affirming Indonesia's determination, as the largest island country, to maintain marine life.

"I express my gratitude to President Emmanuel Macron for organizing this summit. As the largest island country, a healthy marine environment is key for sustainable development in Indonesia," Widodo remarked.

He then boasted of Indonesia's frontline position among the global community in promoting marine life protection.

"As of 2021, we have successfully achieved 28.1 million hectares of conserved marine area, which is equal to 86.5 percent of our target. We are confident that our commitment would be achieved by 2030," the President said.

Global leaders must place marine environment management within the context of sustainable development to drive post-pandemic economic recovery, he added.

"Some of our breakthroughs are the implementation of measured fishing that is assisted by an integrated technology-based monitoring system and the development of fish cultivation villages that respect local customs to eradicate poverty and promote high-value commodity preservation," Widodo informed.

The One Ocean Summit, organized in Brest, France on February 9–11, 2022, aimed to mobilize the international community for taking concrete actions to ensure sustainable marine life in the future.

The event was organized by France, which is currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the endorsement of the United Nations.

For the summit, President Macron gathered heads of states and governments, multilateral institution leaders, business leaders, and civil groups to broker a common commitment to protect and preserve marine life and the environment.

Initiatives agreed upon at the summit included the protection of the marine ecosystem and sustainable fishing, commitment to eradicating marine pollution and plastic waste, addressing climate change effects, and advocating improvements in global marine management//ANT