VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that the ASEAN-South Korea collaboration could contribute to efforts to tackle the pandemic and to recover the economy in the region.

This was conveyed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) during a speech at the 21st ASEAN-South Korea Summit via a videoconference on Thursday.

"At the end of last year, in Busan, I expressed optimism for the ASEAN-South Korea partnership. Amid this pandemic situation, I remain optimistic. Optimistic that the ASEAN-South Korea strategic partnership can contribute to efforts to fight the pandemic and to recover the economy in the region," President Jokowi said at the Bogor State Palace, West Java, Thursday.

According to the President, this optimism must be realized in two ways, namely collaboration between ASEAN and South Korea in regional recovery and strengthening cooperation in terms of health security.

Collaboration for regional economic recovery is needed to raise new hopes for the community and the business world which can later help leverage the regional economy.

"One of the efforts to raise new hopes for the community is economic integration in the region, including through the ASEAN-South Korea RCEP and FTA. I appreciate South Korea's commitment to regional economic integration and the signing of the RCEP this year," President Jokowi said.

In addition, President Jokowi said ASEAN and South Korea must work hard to ensure global supply chains, including through expanding South Korean investment in Southeast Asia and strengthening ASEAN as Korea's production base.

According to him, digital and technological transformation in MSMEs and strengthening creative economic cooperation can also encourage economic movement in the region.

As for strengthening cooperation in terms of health security, President Jokowi said that economic recovery can only run well if there is health insurance.

"During this pandemic, health management due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recovery must go hand in hand," he said.

The Head of State said that in the short term, the partnership between ASEAN and South Korea must ensure the availability of medicines and vaccines for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, in the long term, the partnership between ASEAN and South Korea can be directed towards building health resilience mechanisms in the region, particularly health infrastructure at the national level, strong health industry in the region, and a regional health resilience framework including early warning systems and SoP during a pandemic.

"South Korea's superiority in the health service digitization system can be used as one of the new areas of ASEAN-South Korea cooperation," he said.

In addition, President Jokowi is of the view that war against the pandemic and economic recovery can only be carried out if the region is in a peaceful and safe condition.

For this reason, at the age of 10 of the ASEAN-South Korea strategic partnership, President Jokowi invited both parties to become the guardians of peace, security, and regional stability.

"The war against the pandemic and economic recovery can only be carried out if our region is peaceful and safe. At the age of 10 of the ASEAN-South Korea partnership, I would like to again invite ASEAN-South Korea to be the guardians of a peaceful, safe, and stable region for prosperity. our common people and the world," he said. (Antaranews)

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) held the International Conference on Radar, Antenna, Microwave, Electronics, and Telecommunications (ICRAMET) 2020 and the International Conference on Sustainable Energy Engineering and Application (ICSEEA) 2020, virtually from 18-20 November 2020.

The theme of this conference is Digital Transformation of Public Services, in order to encourage innovation, research, and development, including the exchange of knowledge between academics and the business world.

Head of the electronic and communication research center at LIPI Dr. Budi Prawara said that this conference would discuss important issues in the fields of communication, environment, and energy.

"This conference will deliver research in the fields of IT and telecommunications, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and high-speed telecommunication systems that can contribute to the digital era in Indonesia," Budi said on Tuesday live-streamed in LIPI YouTube Channel.

National and international researchers, including from Japan, Singapore, and the United States, will present the results of their research related to fields including autonomous vehicles (AV), plant disease detection, face imaging and recognition, sensor systems, biomedical, antenna, Covid- 19, Internet of Things (IoT), satellite, solar cell, energy harvesting, radar, 5G and WLAN, mmWave, and integrated circuit (IC).

ICRAMET 2020 Conference Chairman, Erry Dwi Kurniawan said that the conference aims for a wider audience because the registration fee is cheaper than its previous editions.

"By being held virtually, this scientific meeting opens up opportunities for participants from abroad to participate because registration costs are lower than offline," Erry said.

"This conference is targeted to support domestic technology development, research, and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for industrial diversification and adding value to commodities," he explained. (VOI)

Today, ASEAN conferred the ASEAN Prize, its annual regional premier award, to the Singapore-based ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) of ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for promoting greater understanding and awareness of ASEAN, and contributing towards regional cooperation and integration.

The ASEAN Prize 2020 recipient was officially announced today at the 37th ASEAN Summit Opening Ceremony. In his keynote speech, Viet Nam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc congratulated the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute for being awarded this year’s Prize.

Now in its third year, the ASEAN Prize honours the outstanding achievements of individuals or organisations who foster the ASEAN identity, promote the ASEAN spirit, champion the ASEAN way and have significantly contributed towards ASEAN community building efforts.

In his congratulatory remarks, Secretary-General Dato Lim highlighted that “ASC’s insights and analyses on developments and trends in the region through research, publications, media engagement and outreach activities, have helped policymakers, scholars and business leaders in their efforts in building and advancing the ASEAN Community”.

The Director of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Choi Shing Kwok, who is also Head of ASC, expressed his appreciation in receiving the award. “The accolade is a recognition of the collective efforts of the entire ASC team, past and present. I am sure this will further inspire ASC to continue building on our efforts and mission of promoting research and understanding of ASEAN from a regional perspective,” he said.

The ASEAN Prize, administered by the ASEAN Secretariat, is sponsored by Temasek Foundation of Singapore and Yayasan Hasanah of Malaysia. The Prize recipient will receive a trophy and a cash prize of US$20,000. This year’s award ceremony will be convened separately, following COVID-19 safety protocols.

Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive of Temasek Foundation Connects, noted that “Temasek Foundation is honoured for the opportunity to support the ASEAN Prize since its beginning in 2018. We are heartened to see the ASEAN Prize take root as a premier regional platform, celebrating outstanding work that shapes our shared ASEAN landscape. We would like to congratulate ASC as well as all past recipients whose community building efforts continue to resonate with and impact many in ASEAN!”

Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah, remarked “At Hasanah, we meet and work with inspiring individuals and organisations every day, and every little feat towards building a better ASEAN is a step forward to building a better world. By supporting the ASEAN Prize, we recognise and celebrate the importance and meaningful work done by individuals and organisations like ASC, towards building the ASEAN Community. Congratulations to ASC for being awarded the ASEAN Prize 2020.”

Established in 2008, ASC conducts policy research and analysis on ASEAN’s development as an institution in support of ASEAN integration and community-building. Under this objective, ASC studies the political-security, economic and socio-cultural trends in ASEAN through a range of research programmes, publications, events as well as institutional engagement. ASC also provides a regular platform for policy-makers, scholars, public intellectuals and business leaders to discuss constructive ideas that will help shape the development of the region and foster a better understanding of ASEAN.

ASC is the first ASEAN-based organisation to receive the Prize. In 2018, Erlinda Uy Koe, a dedicated community leader and advocate of families with autism from the Philippines, received the inaugural ASEAN Prize for her contribution to foster an inclusive ASEAN community. In 2019, Malaysian humanitarian leader Dr. Jemilah Mahmood was selected as the ASEAN Prize recipient for her dedication in providing emergency needs and humanitarian response to affected population in the region.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 37th ASEAN Summit will take place today through video-conference. Viet Nam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will preside over the opening ceremony. He will be joined online by Leaders from the other ASEAN Member States.

Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi said, “Viet Nam’s chairmanship of ASEAN this year has been exemplary. In spite of having to deal with its domestic COVID-19 challenges and natural disasters, Viet Nam has provided able leadership in keeping the region cohesive and responsive to these challenges, placing ASEAN Centrality and the peoples’ interest at the core.”

High on the 37th ASEAN Summit agenda is the Leaders’ discussion and approval of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and its Implementation Plan, which will serve as the whole-of-community exit strategy to recover and build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there will be further discussions on the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement, which would facilitate the safe resumption of essential business travel in the region.

As ASEAN Chair, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is also expected to announce the recipient of the ASEAN Prize 2020. Launched in 2018, the ASEAN Prize aims to recognize inspiring achievements and contributions of an individual or organisation that fosters the ASEAN identity, promotes the ASEAN spirit, and champions the ASEAN way.

The ASEAN Leaders will also meet with their counterparts from ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners in a series of ASEAN Plus One summits.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the ASEAN Leaders, under Viet Nam’s Chairmanship, has earlier met over three cyber Summits in 2020, namely the Special ASEAN Summit and Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on 14 April, and the 36th ASEAN Summit on 26 June.

The Opening Ceremony will be live streamed on the ASEAN Chair’s website (https://www.asean2020.vn/).

Brunei Darussalam will assume the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2021.

ASEAN was founded in Bangkok, Thailand on 8 August 1967 when the five founding members – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – signed the ASEAN Declaration. Since then, ASEAN has expanded and enlarged its membership with the inclusion of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam.