VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia's Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Ministry shared its experience on developing the Legality and Sustainability Verification System (SVLK) with a delegation from Laos in Jakarta on Monday.

"SVLK, the Indonesian timber legality assurance system, has been key in encouraging better governance in the forestry sector, taking requirements developed by market countries into account," director general of sustainable forest management at the ministry, Agus Justianto, told the delegates from Laos.

Justianto said that SVLK has changed the image of Indonesia's forestry sector and boosted the sector's performance.

According to him, SVLK has helped Indonesia control illegal logging, which was a threat to the forestry sector in the early 2000s. The result has been a reduction in deforestation by more than 75 percent in the past three years.

SVLK has also provided guarantees to the market and increased confidence that the wood products purchased are legal and sourced from sustainably managed forests, he said.

This had an impact on the rapid performance of forestry product exports even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, the export value of Indonesian forestry products reached US$14.21 billion, the highest on record. This year, the export value of forestry products reached US$9.61 billion as of September.

SVLK was developed more than a decade ago involving multi-stakeholders ranging from the government, academics, business actors, civil society, and non-governmental organizations.

Its utilization is mandatory from upstream to downstream. To support its implementation, there are Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), which conduct audits of business units or wood products.

CABs have been carrying out this task after receiving accreditation from the National Accreditation Committee (KAN), based on the ISO17065 international standard, in 2012.

The entire process is monitored by the community and non-governmental organizations, who serve as independent monitors.

According to Justianto, SVLK played an important role in negotiating the Voluntary Partnership Agreement for Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT-VPA) with the European Union.

The system was recognized as the basis for the issuance of FLEGT licenses to the European Union so that Indonesian wood products would not require to undergo a due diligence process prescribed under the European timber regulation.

"SVLK has now included sustainability aspects in addition to legal aspects. This is a standard that is needed by the global market today," said Justianto.

The latest SVLK developments include improving traceability with geo-location. Other indicators that have also been strengthened in the SVLK transformation are worker welfare and gender issues.

Director general of the Forest Inspection Department of the Laotian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Khamphone Mounlamai, said that Laos has also developed a timber legality assurance system and hopes to reach a FLEGT-VPA agreement in the near future.

"We want to learn and exchange knowledge from Indonesia about the process," he added.

The Laotian delegation comprised officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Trade, provincial government, civil society organizations (CSOs), and business actors.

The delegation's visit to Indonesia was supported by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Development Bank (KfW), and the European Forest Institute (EFI).

During the visit, which will end on October 27, 2023, the delegation will hold meetings with the members of several business associations, such as the Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI), the Indonesian Wood Panel Association (Apkindo), and the Pulp and Paper Association Indonesia (APKI).

They will also meet with CABs and independent monitoring network NGOs that have been monitoring SVLK. In addition, they will visit Surabaya and Malang in East Java to see the SVLK implementation process from upstream to downstream. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked his ranks to utilize the Socioeconomic Registration (Regsosek) data optimally in order to provide social protection to the community.

He conveyed this during a limited meeting with a number of ministers from the Onward Indonesia Cabinet to discuss Regsosek data management at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday.

"Starting from regular social assistance, PKH (Family Hope Program), BPNT (Non-Cash Food Assistance) and subsidies, and social security, all of them will utilize data from the Regsosek. Likewise for community empowerment in labor-intensive activities, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), human resources development, and also in social convergence," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said while issuing a press statement at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

He informed that the government will issue a presidential instruction, which will be prepared by data stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).

In the future, the data produced by Regsosek will continue to be updated for social protection programs, he informed.

During the meeting, President Widodo also instructed officials to continue implementing the food aid program, namely, the provision of rice assistance, until December 2023.

The government will also implement a policy on value-added tax (VAT) on purchases of houses or property worth under Rp2 billion, Hartarto said.

"The government will fully cover VAT on property purchases under Rp2 billion until June next year, and will cover 50 percent of the VAT after June 2024," he disclosed.

Meanwhile, for low-income communities, the government will also provide administrative assistance, the minister added.

According to Hartarto, administrative assistance costs include Tax on the Acquisition of Land and Building (BPHTB) and other fees amounting to Rp13.3 million.

"The government will contribute Rp4 million for each family until 2024," he said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The medal achievements of Indonesian athletes at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games (APG) are running according to the target, Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo has said.

"The progress is in accordance with what was initially planned. No one has missed the target yet, so we still hope that (the medal achievement) will increase. Let's continue to support and pray for them," he observed at Xiaoshan Sports Center Gymnasium on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon local time, the Indonesian contingent was seventh in the standings with three gold, four silver, and five bronze medals.

On the second day of the games, sprinter Ni Made Arianti Putri won gold in the women's 100m T12 at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium.

Putri clocked a record of 12.52 seconds, finishing 0.16 seconds ahead of Indian sprinter Simran and 0.26 seconds ahead of home sprinter Yaqin Shen.

In the same sport, sprinter Eko Saputra won a silver medal in the men's 100m T12 with a record time of 11.22 seconds.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Indonesian powerlifter Ni Nengah Widiasih won the first medal for Indonesia in para powerlifting in the 45kg class.

Overall, Indonesia is aiming to finish in the top 10 at the games with a goal of 19 gold, 23 silver, and 25 bronze medals.

Minister Ariotedjo said the Indonesian athletes have fought hard and strived to reach the set target at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

He also expressed the hope that every medal gained would boost the spirits of other athletes who will compete in the following days.

"Every medal is an 'injection of enthusiasm' and motivation for other athletes. We still have a long way to go, and I hope (the medals) can be a positive spur for athletes who will compete in the Asian Para Games," he said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian runner Ni Made Arianti Putri bagged gold in the women's 100-meter T12 race at the 2022 Asian Para Games at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium, Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday.

Putri emerged as the fastest sprinter in the race with a record of 12.52 seconds. She finished ahead of India's Simran and China's Yaqin Shen, who finished 0.16 seconds and 0.26 seconds behind her, respectively.

"It is a surprise because initially, she was only targeting to win a bronze medal, but instead, she was able to win a gold medal," coach of the Indonesian para athletics team, Slamet Widodo, said in an official statement released by the National Paralympic Committee of Indonesia.

Putri's is the second gold for Indonesia in para athletics after Saptoyogo Purnomo won the men's 400-meter T37 race earlier on Monday.

In addition, the Indonesian para athletics team bagged a silver medal on Tuesday. The medal was won by Eko Saputra in the men's 100-meter T12 race with a record of 11.22 seconds.

"The silver medal that Saputra won was in accordance with what was targeted for him," Widodo said.

Saputra admitted that he was surprised at his achievement.

"My initial target is (to bag) a bronze medal; the target was quite hard because my opponents were also very tough. But I was optimistic and am grateful to be able to get a silver medal," he said.

Meanwhile, Iran's Mehrdad Moradi took the gold medal with a record of 11.17 seconds, while Japan's Daiki Ishyama bagged the bronze medal with a record of 11.36 seconds.

With the medals that the Indonesian para-athletics team contributed on Tuesday, the Indonesian contingent is currently ranking 7th in the Asian Para Games, with 3 golds, 4 silvers, and 5 bronzes.

On Tuesday, Indonesian lifter Ni Nengah Widiasih also won silver in the women's 45kg class powerlifting event.

The Indonesian contingent is targeting to finish in the top 10 at the Para Games with 19 gold, 23 silver, and 25 bronze medals. (Antaranews)