The Indonesian Embassy in Beirut has acknowledged its continued support for trade cooperation improvement between Indonesia and Lebanon. Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon Hajriyanto Y Thohari gave the Primaduta Award to Lebanese businessman and importer, George R Fattouh. The award was given for his service in helping market Indonesian products in Paris from the Middle East. The award was given at a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut, Thursday (11/1) Fatough, is the owner of George R. Fattouh S.A.L, a business that has been importing Indonesian products since the 1980s. It has a range of products, including: palm oil and its derivatives, oil and fats (including cocoa butter substitute, fat spread, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, and lauric confectionery fats), cardboard, stationary, and school equipment. Some Indonesian products are now even available at famous retail networks, such as Spinney’s and Carrefour. In 2022, the value imported by George R. Fattough S.A.L of Indonesian products, was 981.3 million USD. This was a 149.5 million USD increase when compared to 2021. Fattouh said Indonesian products are known for their quality and are in high demand in Lebanese markets. However, he said, the challenge now is increasing freight costs due to security challenges in the region.
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Listeners, a number of delicious dishes were served to the guests of Dhaup Ageng Pura Pakualaman Yogyakarta, at the wedding reception of the youngest son of K.G.P.A.A. Paku Alam X, namely B.P.H. Kusumo Kuntonugroho with Laily Annisa Kusumastuti which was held on January 10, 2024.Head of the Customs and Accommodation Division, Dhaup Ageng Pura Pakualaman, KRT Radyo Wisroyo said that the menu served to guests was quite varied. These menus are typical menus prepared by Pakualaman Pura, Indonesian menus and western food menus were also available. All invited guests including VIP and VVIP guests got the same menu. The first menu served to welcome guests, namely two types of welcome drink, namely lime lemongrass and ginger drink with lime. The welcome drink was given when guests sat down and watched the Bedhaya Sidamukti and Bedhaya Kakung Indrawidagda dance performances. Next, they gotsnacks for appetizer such as croquettes and other light snacks. There is a snack that is considered quite special and rare called Garulina. Garulina was the opening snack at the Pahargyan Dhaup Ageng Pakualaman lunch on the first day. Garulina has been around since the era before Indonesian independence. Garulina is actually not a typical Central Javanese food. It looks like the Lapis Legit layered cake, but there is something different, because there is a special layer like vla which is made from fresh milk, eggs and sugar. To get this sweet snack, Pakulaman Temple has to place a special order from the third generation of makers who have been pioneering since the 1950s. In Jogja, Garulina is very difficult to find and is considered rare because it is not sold every day.
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The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Pretoria launched the Indonesia-South Africa Fashion Design Collaboration entitled ‘Stories of Hope: Indonesia-South Africa Fashion Design Collaboration Incubation’on Tuesday (2/11).
According to a statement received in Jakarta, Wednesday (3/11), the activity was carried out by the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria along with the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center in Johannesburg virtually through YouTube channel in Pretoria.
Indonesian Ambassador to South Africa , Salman Al Farisi said that this event aims to enhance relationships between the citizens of both countries and promote culture and creative economy.
Ambassador Salman further explained that the theme of the event was inspired by the struggle of the two countries that respectively underwent colonialism in the past. So, both of them have grown into influential and respected countries in their respective regions nowadays.
In this event, there are three designers from Indonesia and three designers from South Africa. They get challenges to make six dress designs for men and women. The theme is casual, semi-formal, and formal.
The challenge is not easy, because the designers are thousands of kilometres away and they are only able to discuss and draft designs through digital communication channels. After the design is agreed, they still have to produce finished clothes from the design.
In addition, the designed clothes will be made using traditional fabrics from both countries. Batik will be used for the dress from Indonesia. Meanwhile, South Africa will use ShweShwe as their dress.
In carrying out the event, the embassy of Republic of Indonesia in Pretoria and Indonesian Trade Promotion Center in Johannesburg took the Indonesian Fashion Chamber as a partner from the Indonesian side, and a large retail company, The Foschini Group, as a partner from the South Africa side.
Indonesia-South Africa Fashion Design Collaboration will be officially closed through a virtual presentation of the work of fashion designers from both countries on December 10.
The Directorate General of Culture at thehe Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology is going to hold the National Culture Week (NCW) this year. Like last year, this year’s NCW is held online due to the Covid-19 situation that has not recovered yet. The implementation of NCW as a culture-based performance amid the pandemic is expected to ensure that the spirit of culture is maintained by the Indonesian people. The theme of the National Culture Week is “Brilliant Archipelago, Guide the Future”. This year’s NCW in 2021 seeks to call on the public to re-recognize the identity and cultural treasure of the nation.
The implementation of NCW 2021 focuses on the local wisdom as the root of cultural resilience. NCW 2021 is set based on clothing, food and housing as fundamental aspects in people's lives. Public Relations of Directorate General of culture, Watie Syar’I explained that with various programs of the NCW, the community is expected to be able to re-discover the wealth of clothing, food and shelter and answer the challenges of life in the future.
We will guide the latest trend to Indonesian pride. Because our food heritage is also extraordinary. Then, housing is related to architecture where to live. It's because our days are also related to that. Now, let's see, we are talking about architecture. Besides the architecture, our food and clothing, we are also so proud of the wealth belonging to Indonesia out there. Obviously, our cultural wealth is extraordinary.
A number of musicians, including top Indonesian bands are ready to enliven the National Culture Week. There are a lot of events, such as culture concert, talk show, culture conference, fashion show, dance, and traditional music will enliven up the National Culture Week this year. The event will be held on 19-26 November 2021. The public can access the event by any platform that has been provided, like the Indonesiana TV cultural channel on Indihome channels 200 (SD) and 916 (HD), the PKN.id page, and also the Budaya Saya Youtube channel. In addition, opening and closing activities can be accessed directly through TVRI.
The Ministry of Trade facilitated the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Indonesian business actors and trading partners from Egypt for four-wheeled vehicle tires amounting to US$20 million. This event was carried out online last Monday (1/11). The signing of the memorandum of understanding was carried out on the side-line of the 2021 Trade Expo Indonesia Digital Edition (TEI-DE) and witnessed online by Director General of National Export Development, Didi Sumedi and Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt, Lutfi Rauf.
Didi Sumedi thanks the Indonesian trade representative for their support to facilitate business between Indonesia and Egypt. He also appreciates Indonesian businesspeople and entrepreneurs and their trading partners from Egypt, who persistently continue to strive developing amid an uncertain global economy. The trade relations between Indonesia and Egypt will always be good. In the second week of TEI-DE, according to Didi, the total of trade transactions was recorded at US$978.05 million.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Lutfi Rauf said that TE-DE 2021 is an important moment for Indonesian and Egyptian businesspeople. This moment also proves that Indonesian and Egyptian businesspeople have succeeded in demonstrating good trade cooperation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ambassador also explained that the Indonesia-Egypt trade balance resulted in a surplus of US$2.01 billion for January-August 2021. The surplus generated from Indonesia's exports to Egypt of US$7.68 billion and Indonesia's imports from Egypt was US$5.67 billion.
In general, gastronomy is a science that discusses good eating habits or it’s also associated with something related to the delicacy of food and beverage. However, according to Vita Datau, Founder of the Indonesia Gastronomy Network, gastronomy is not only a matter of food and beverage served on the table, but also a science that studies the details of the story behind the food itself from the history of food, the origin of food ingredients, processing, cooking methods until how the food is eaten. So, gastronomy is an ecosystem that includes everything about food from upstream to downstream. In addition, gastronomy also looks at how food is a part of the lifestyle of society, if there is food that is consumed for generations. Gastronomy also looks at culture, how traditions are related to food. Take for example; food is also used in traditional ceremonies and offerings.
Recently, Salatiga City has been proposed to be nominated as a Creative City of Gastronomy to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The certainty of the proposal was obtained through a letter from the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO (KNIU). Seen from various aspects, Salatiga City is considered an ideal city as a Gastronomic City in Indonesia. The choice of Salatiga City as a Gastronomic City is logical. In terms of location, it is very strategic for tourists to visit. It shares borders with three important cities in Central Java and Yogyakarta. They are Semarang, Surakarta, and Yogyakarta. Meanwhile, in terms of beauty, Salatiga City is quite beautiful. In fact, during colonial rule, it was nicknamed: Salatiga Dea Schoonnste Staad Van Midden Java, or Salatiga the Most Beautiful City in Central Java. In addition, it has also long been the home of ethnic; it has its own strength in culinary terms. There are various special dishes that are the mainstay of Salatiga City, including beef satay, opor duck, soto esto, gecok goat, round sekoteng, enting-enting gepuk, and the iconic Salatiga City’s specialty dish is Tumpang Koyor. Salatiga City is the second oldest city in Indonesia; it’s 1271 years old. So, there are a lot of kinds of food that have existed for a long time and can be seen from the gastronomic perspective that supports the nomination of UCCN Gastronomy Heritage.
Salatiga City has potential not only culinary, but also diversity. It is a place where 196,082 people with various ethnicities mingle or interact together. This multi-ethnic population makes the gastronomic potential in Salatiga City very high. In the socio-cultural field, until now acculturation in Salatiga City is still on-going. This makes the community more appreciative of diversity and tolerance. The acceptance of diversity can also be good news for tourists who will visit and feel the friendliness of the people. The potential of Salatiga City cannot be separated from the achievements it has made. It has been awarded as the Most Tolerant City in Indonesia, Child Friendly City, Human Rights Friendly City, and other awards. In addition, to get to a world-class Gastronomic City, there are many things that are prepared. One of them is ecosystem preparation, starting from the construction of traditional markets, local culinary education to the improvement of service quality, cleanliness, health, and strengthening other ecosystems. Although ecosystem development is still on-going, this effort does not need to start from the beginning. Because the gastronomic ecosystem in Salatiga City has developed very creatively. This strength will be the initial capital, as well as the most potential enchantment for the success of Salatiga City's journey as a Gastronomic City.
Indonesian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Djauhari Oratmangun explained the opportunities for Indonesia to expand its cooperation with the world’s most populous country, China in a webinar on Sharia economy Friday (29/10). Foreign trade is still the main supporter of China’s economic resilience. China’s exports and imports have continued to grow positively over the last 15 months.
Citing data from the World Bank, Ambassador Djauhari stated that China’s economy is estimated to grow 8.5% this year or an increase of 0.4% compared to April projection. According to Ambassador Djauhari, not losing that momentum, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing held a business forum recently. In the Sharia economic forum, Ambassador Djauhari emphasized the importance of 3 sectors that can encourage economic growth: green economy, health sector development and digitalization.
In the green economic sector, according to him, Indonesia and China have the same views on reducing the use of fossil-based energy. In the health sector, Indonesia and China have cooperated since last year’s Covid-19 pandemic.
Moreover, Ambassador Djauhari also stated that until September 2021, China exported 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. In the digitalization sector, Indonesia has established partnerships with many countries, including China as the biggest player in the digital sector in the world. From January to September 2021, bilateral trade between Indonesia and China reached US$ 85.4 billion or around Rp1.2 quadrillion or an increase of 50% compared to the previous year. China’s investment in Indonesia reached US$2.3 billion.
The Indonesian Embassy in the Hague, the Netherlands and the Indonesian Student Association (PPI) Rotterdam collaborated to socialize internships in global companies. A virtual event titled “Talk Show on Working and Internship Opportunities in International Organizations” Volume II was joined by four young speakers who have experience in international organizations at the Secretariat of the United Nations (UN) in New York and The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) in the Hague. The event was held on 26 October 2021. On that occasion, Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mayerfas said that Indonesia is a supporter of multilateralism and an active member of 200 international organizations. He also motivated Indonesian students to seek and take advantage of opportunities to work in international organizations so that they can provide personal and national benefits.
Indonesian Ambassador to Namibia, Wisnu Edi Pratignyo followed up the memorandum of understanding on Indonesia-Namibia cooperation in the maritime and fisheries sector. The follow-up was carried out by visiting the Namibia Maritime and Fisheries Institute (NAMFI) in Swakopmund City, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Windhoek received in Jakarta Friday (29/10). On that occasion, Ambassador Wisnu stated that Indonesia as a maritime country has sufficient resources and capacity to support Namibia. The meeting between the Indonesian Embassy in Windhoek and NAMFI aims to identify opportunities for cooperation that can be carried out by implementing a memorandum of understanding in the maritime sector and fisheries. In 2018, Indonesia and Namibia agreed on cooperation in the marine and fisheries sector. The agreement is motivated by the potential of the two countries in the marine sector that can be used for mutual progress.
Student of Civil Engineering Department of Faculty Engineering University Indonesia (FTUI), Juan Fidel Ferdani has designed a waste management system based on Smart Medical Waste Management (SMW) and Eco-Refill store. The SMW is an internet of thing-based medical waste management system that is integrated with devices to optimize medical waste management in health care facilities. Fidel explained that the SMW can detect conditions when medical waste begins to exceed the capacity limit of the trash can and allows garbage collectors to immediately take away and process it.
The SMW includes a portable medical trash can and an Android-based monitoring application. The trash can is equipped with devices, such as an ultrasonic sensor that is able to detect the location and the height of the waste volume. The location and volume data of the waste will be sent to the monitoring application on garbage collectors’ devices. With this system, the garbage collectors may see notifications on their devices to find out whether medical waste has to be taken away or not. Therefore, health service facilities do not need to provide their own health facilities which are quite expensive.
Meanwhile, the Eco-Refill Store concept, a refill store that sells consumer products without packaging, is aimed at minimizing single-use plastic waste.Consumers who shop at selling refillable products must bring their own bags. The refill shop operation is supported by the Eco-Refill Application to make it easier for consumers to refill products. The use of the application allows consumers to access the location of the nearest refill shop, find out the available stock and product prices, and make transactions using electronic payment methods. According to Juan, the refill shop system can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of handling single-use plastic waste and replace the linear economy system with a circular economy system.
Encouraging the promotion of Indonesian tourism in the United States, the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in San Francisco participated in the largest tourism exhibition in the U.S., "Travel & Adventure Show 2021" in Santa Clara Convention Center last weekends (23-24/10). The Indonesian booth was visited by more than 500 people from various backgrounds, such as tourism entrepreneurs, travel influencers and others. The Indonesian consulate cooperated with 2 travel agents to jointly promote Indonesian tourism: TREVI.co from Jakarta and Sayang Holidays from San Francisco. Indonesian outlets promoted various priority tourism destinations, such as Labuan Bajo, Mandalika, Wakatobi, West Nusa Tenggara, Morotai Island, North Maluku, Tanjung Kelayang, Bangka Belitung Islands, Toba Lake, North Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi, Borobudur, Central Java, Seribu Islands, DKI Jakarta, Tanjung Lesung, Banten, Banten, Bromo , East Java, and East Nusa Tenggara.
Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in San Francisco, Nugroho Y. Aribhimo said that through the exhibition which lasted for two days, his side recorded around 150 U.S. potential tourists who are interested in visiting Indonesia. Some of them have booked travel packages to Indonesia next year and they are waiting for a new policy from the Government of Indonesia regarding travel restrictions. It’s known that the total foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia in 2020 reached 4.02 million visits. Compared to 2019, the foreign tourists decreased by 75.03%.
Americans tend to plan vacations one year before departure, and the marketing efforts at the Travel and Adventure Show 2021 are believed to be able to help encourage back the Indonesian tourism industry post-pandemic, especially to increase the number of foreign tourists in 2022.The U.S. Travel and Adventure Show is the largest travel show event in the U.S.A. There are over 10,000 visitors every year. The event aims to connect more than 2.1 million tourists with more than 4,500 travel agencies. During the exhibition, prominent figures, such as Josh Gates, Peter Greenberg, and Andrew also appeared on the seminar stages.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has appointed Ambassador Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations and the International Seabed Authority based in New York, United States. The inauguration became a historic moment because Indonesia for the first time appointed a Permanent Representative for the International Seabed Authority.
The International Seabed Authority is an international organization established under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention.The organization is a forum for state parties to the convention to manage and supervise activities related to mineral resources contained in the International Seabed Area. This policy is in accordance with the principle of the Common Heritage for Humanity. The International Seabed Authority is headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica.
The appointment of the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia for the International Seabed Authority refers to the Regulation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs No.4/2021 concerning the Fifth Amendment to the Decree of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2004 about the Organization and Work Procedure of the Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia abroad. The Ministerial Regulation stipulates that The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations in New York concurrently serves as the International Seabed Authority.
Reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta last Tuesday October 26, the inauguration of Ambassador Nasir underlined Indonesia's commitment as a state party to the Law of the Sea Convention to participate in many activities in the International Seabed Area. One of them is the process of drafting various regulations of the International Seabed Authority related to the management of mineral resources in the International Seabed Area. So, it can be useful for all human beings.
In Indonesia, October 28 is the Indonesian Youth Pledge Day. The Youth Pledge is the decision of the Second Youth Congress from October 27 to 28 1928. The decision affirms Indonesia’s ideals. They are Indonesian homeland, Indonesian nation and Indonesian language. This year is the 93rd commemoration of Youth Pledge Day. The commemoration of the Youth Pledge Day has always a different theme every year. This year’s theme is “Unite, Rise, Grow”.
Youth Pledge Day is enlivened with many activities. For example, what was done by the Youth Pledge Museum along with the Directorate General of Culture at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology is that they held an exhibition of Press Figures Behind the Youth Pledge with the theme "Fight!". This is a reflection of the struggle of press figures during the Youth Pledge moment against the Dutch colonial government. According to the Director of Film, Music and Media at the Directorate General of Culture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Ahmad Mahendra, the foundation of Indonesian Nationality was built by the press tradition of Indonesian youths in the early 20th century. The press was a tool of resisting against colonialism, as well as uniting the collectivity of the homeland in the consciousness of the nation. He also said that most of the youths with their patriotism in the national movement era were journalists, such as Tjipto, Soekarno, Siti Sundari, and W.R. Supratman. They moved together against colonization, told the spirit of Indonesian unity, made people realize that they have a nation called Indonesia that deserves being fought for and liberated. In addition, Ahmad Mahendra advised that with a strong spirit, they can rise up and move together so that Indonesia continues to grow as an independent and a sovereign country.
The exhibition "Fight!" can be visited live on October 22-31 2021 at M Bloc Space, South Jakarta. This exhibition also can be viewed online from October 22 to November 9 2021 by Zoom Meeting media and the exhibition page https://www.pameranlawan.com. The visitors will be treated to creative content and 360° virtual tour services by online meeting. So, it provides a real experience as visiting directly.