VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The launch of the One International Migration Data Collaboration or SDMI, on Wednesday, December 20 2023 at the BPS Headquarters - 

Voinews, Jakarta - The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency (BPS), is holding the launch of the One International Migration Data Collaboration or SDMI, on Wednesday, December 20 2023 at the BPS Headquarters.

The activity was also attended by the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture and Plt. The Head of BPS aims to officially launch collaborative efforts to implement SDMI and introduce the proposed draft Blueprint and Roadmap for SDMI 2023-2028 prepared by BPS and IOM through dialogue with various ministries/institutions; policy summary prepared by BPS and BRIN; guide to SDMI concepts and definitions which is a collaborative product of BPS and ILO; as well as a prototype SDMI portal that can be developed to contain various standardized international migration data from various ministries/institutions.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday, International migration has become one of the most challenging issues faced by policy makers around the world because of the complexity of mobility and the interconnectedness of migration issues with other socio-economic issues. Reliable and timely data is needed to inform migration policymakers and for the provision of humanitarian assistance, as well as to maximize the positive impact of migration on development.

In this case, it requires integration of data that has been spread across various institutions and organizations from the village level to the national level. Data integration related to international migration needs to be supported by strengthening cross-sector coordination and an integrated system to strengthen better data governance and management.

"To create safe, orderly and orderly international migration, the commitment of the relevant ministries/institutions is needed to continue collaborating and working together through SDMI, thereby producing accurate and integrated data. "In this way, it provides a strong foundation for policy makers to formulate effective, evidence-based policies," said Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, Plt. Head of BPS.

SDMI is a significant initiative and is a step that shows the active role of the Indonesian government in realizing better management of data related to international migration. SDMI was developed and introduced since 2019 through a series of consultation and coordination meetings.

Throughout 2023, various series of activities have been carried out, such as initial coordination meetings, consultation meetings with key ministries and institutions, meetings with regional governments, development of a draft blueprint and roadmap for SDMI, preparation of policy summaries, preparation of guidelines for the concept and definition of SDMI, development portal, as well as organizing training related to migration and fostering the preparation of metadata and data standards.

In his remarks, 

"One of the obstacles in making policies related to international migration so far is the difficulty in obtaining accurate information and data.", the Coordinating Minister for PMK, Muhadjir Effendy, said.

Therefore, integrated and quality data is needed which is expected to be produced through SDMI. While touching on the celebration of International Migrant Day which fell on December 18, Muhajir stated that SDMI is a form of respect for the basic rights and freedoms of millions of migrants throughout the world who have contributed to their countries of origin and destination, including those from Indonesia.

As a UN organization dedicated to migration affairs, IOM, represented by Jeffrey Labovitz as Head of Mission IOM Indonesia, also emphasized the importance of the SDMI initiative to realize well-managed and evidence-based migration.

"Good migration management can be created through the implementation of migration policies that are comprehensive, coherent and refer to long-term results. This is difficult to implement without adequate evidence and data. "In this case, IOM has collaborated with BPS and the One Data Indonesia Secretariat (SDI) in preparing a proposed draft Blueprint and Roadmap for SDMI 2023-2028 in order to prepare a clear strategy for developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating SDMI."

This activity is the first step in implementing SDMI and is expected to encourage further dialogue and discussion for the realization of SDMI by considering the scope of collection and use of international migration data in Indonesia, the division of roles and responsibilities between relevant ministries and institutions, coordination mechanisms through the SDMI forum, to technical aspects, such as protecting personal data, as well as data interoperability support systems that can be mutually agreed upon.

This activity is supported by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM, United States Department of State) through the Asia Regional Migration Program which is implemented by IOM in 12 countries, including Indonesia.

The launch of the SDMI collaboration is expected to support Indonesia's position as one of the leading countries in the world for the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) as well as for achieving Golden Indonesia 2045 and the Goals Sustainable Development (SDGs)//VOI

President Joko Widodo at the groundbreaking of the central general hospital (RSUP) in IKN Nusantara, East Kalimantan, on Wednesday (December 20, 2023). (ANTARA/Yashinta Difa/rst) - 

Voinews, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has necessitated that all buildings in the new capital city (IKN) Nusantara should comply with the green building approach to support the principles of environment-friendly green infrastructure in IKN's development.

"I remind all developers in IKN to build with a green principle. The environment must be green along with a green area," Jokowi noted in his speech at the groundbreaking of the central general hospital (RSUP) in IKN on Wednesday.

In order to support the greening effort, the president is also scheduled to conduct tree planting activity during his visit to several locations, including the Axis of Nationality area and the Forest and Land Rehabilitation Location for the Central Government Core Area (KIPP).

"Today, we will carry out reforestation, such as planting endemic trees, to make IKN a green capital city that cannot be found in other countries," Jokowi remarked.

Earlier, the Directorate General of Human Settlements of the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry stated that the principles of green buildings (BGH) and smart buildings (BGC) were applied to government building construction projects in IKN.

The ministry also continues to increase the implementation of green infrastructure in Indonesia that plays an important role in maintaining the physical aspects of the environment and biocapacity in development.

In this way, the government is able to preserve the natural system while still paying attention to the social, cultural, and economic aspects that improve the quality of life of the community.

Built in stages until 2045 with the concept of the Future Smart Forest City of Indonesia, IKN will showcase the nation's superiority in realizing a smart city that is modern and sustainable in line with international standards//ANT-VOI

FILE PHOTO: Japan’s incoming Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Saito arrives at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official residence in Tokyo, Japan December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo - 

TOKYO : Japan's new industry minister on Wednesday pledged to continue supporting efforts to revitalise the country's chip manufacturing base, which have included subsidies for Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC and foundry venture Rapidus.

"The speed of policymaking and execution, which could be called the world's fastest, has led to concrete results beginning with the decision on the location for TSMC," industry minister Ken Saito told reporters.

"It is my job to continue and expand upon the sense of speed that former minister Nishimura has built up," Saito said, referring to his predecessor Yasutoshi Nishimura.

Japanese premier Fumio Kishida last week appointed Saito to lead the powerful Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) after purging his cabinet to contain the damage from a financial scandal.

The government's efforts to regain Japan's faded chip glory include financial support for Rapidus, which is led by chip industry veterans and aims to mass manufacture 2-nanometre logic chips.

TSMC, the world's leading contract chipmaker, views the Japanese government as easy to deal with and generous with subsidies and is considering further expansion in Japan beyond its first fab, Reuters has reported.

"Ongoing support for Rapidus will be necessary. Discussions with TSMC regarding next projects are also ongoing," Saito said.

"We will not blindly continue our support but strictly manage progress and the necessity of backing," he added//CNA-VOI

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a meeting at the Ittihadia presidential palace in Cairo on Nov 15, 2023. (File photo: AFP/Khaled Desouki) - 

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has written to Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to congratulate him on his re-election as president, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Wednesday (Dec 20).

Mr Sisi took 89.6 per cent of the vote during Egypt’s Dec 10 to Dec 12 presidential election to win a third term in office.

“Please accept my congratulations on your re-election as president of the Arab Republic of Egypt,” Mr Tharman said in his letter.

“The strong mandate that you received is especially important in the midst of the conflicts in the region and the key role that Egypt plays in both coordinating humanitarian aid into Gaza and in the pursuit of peace.”

Mr Tharman noted that Singapore and Egypt enjoy a “warm and long-standing partnership” that is “underpinned by strong political, economic and people-to-people ties”.

He added that cooperation between the two countries continues to deepen and has expanded into areas like capacity building, civil aviation and tourism.

“I look forward to continuing to work with you to further enhance bilateral ties,” said Mr Tharman//CNA-VOI