JAKARTA, Jul 3, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – President Joko Widodo has accomplished his visits to Ukraine and Russia on Thursday evening (June 30) to invite both countries to build dialogue, stop the war, and build peace.

President started his mission by visiting Kiev, Ukraine. At the Maryinsky Palace, Kyiv, Jokowi was greeted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday afternoon (June 29).

For Ukraine, that day was a historic day, as President Jokowi's visit was the first one to be made by an Asian leader since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Jokowi, during a joint press statement with Zelenskyy, conveyed several important points from his visit to Ukraine.

"I conveyed to President Zelenskyy that I made this visit as a manifestation of Indonesia's concern for the situation in Ukraine," he remarked.

He reiterated the invitation to Zelenskyy to attend the G20 Summit in November 2022 in Bali.

Jokowi also emphasized Indonesia's principled position regarding the importance of respect for sovereignty and territory.

"Although it is still very difficult to achieve, I still convey the importance of a peaceful settlement, and the spirit of peace must never fade," he affirmed.

Indonesia will strive to contribute through assistance, including medicines, and remain committed to reconstructing one of the hospitals around Kiev.

To this end, President Jokowi offered to carry a message from President Zelenskyy to President Putin.

On the other hand, President Zelenskyy praised Jokowi's visit because Indonesia hosts the G20 Presidency this year and is the strongest country in ASEAN.

Zelenskyy expressed optimism that it would strengthen the effort to end the war.

After visiting Kiev, President Jokowi also made a visit to Moscow, Russia and meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During the visit, Jokowi emphasized the issue of peace and humanity has always been a priority for Indonesia.

"The Indonesian Constitution mandates Indonesia to always try to contribute to the creation of world peace. In this context, I made visits to Kiev and Moscow," he stated.

He also emphasized that food and fertilizers were humanitarian issues and were of interest to the world community. Thus hundreds of millions of people affected by disruptions, especially in developing countries.

Hence, Jokowi lauded Putin's guarantee for the security of food and fertilizer supplies.

Jokowi stressed that Indonesia has no interest apart from helping resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"I invite all world leaders to work together to revive the spirit of multilateralism, the spirit of peace, and the spirit of cooperation," President Jokowi stated.

Meanwhile, Putin noted that Indonesia is one of their key partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Russian-Indonesian relations are constructive and mutually beneficial, developing steadily on the basis of long-standing good traditions of friendship and mutual assistance," he said.

During the joint press conference, President Jokowi reiterates the importance of the spirit of peace.

With President Jokowi's visit to Ukraine and Russia for a peaceful mission, hopes are pinned high on the war ending soon and the food crisis being mitigated quickly.

Written by: Katriana, Editor: Rahmad Nasution (c) ANTARA 2022

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JAKARTA, Jun 30, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has arrived at the venue of the 48th G7 Summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany on Monday afternoon (June 27) local time (UTC+1) to attend the meeting in the capacity of a partner country and as the G20 President.

The G7 is an informal forum bringing together leaders of the world's leading industrial nations from the European Union and countries such as Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Jokowi was welcomed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

During the official welcoming session by the chancellor, Jokowi was present with the leaders of G7 partner countries, including Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Senegalese President Macky Sall, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Furthermore, during the photo session, he posed for a picture accompanied by the German chancellor and United States President Joe Biden.

All heads of government attended two sessions of the G7 meeting.

President Jokowi invited G7 countries to contribute to capitalizing on investment opportunities in the clean energy sector in Indonesia.

President Jokowi conveyed the statement while attending the G7 Summit working lunch session based on the topics of climate change, energy, and health in Elmau, Germany, Monday (June 27).

"(This is) especially (regarding) investment opportunities in the clean energy sector in Indonesia, including the development of an electric car and lithium battery ecosystem," the president stated.

According to President Jokowi, Indonesia's potential, as a contributor to clean energy, whether in the bowels of the earth, on land, or at sea, is very large. Indonesia needs large investments and low-carbon technologies to support a fast and effective transition to clean energy.

"Indonesia needs at least US$25-30 billion for energy transition in the next eight years. We can optimize this transition as a motor of economic growth, open up business opportunities, and create new jobs," President Jokowi stated.

Furthermore, the president noted that in Indonesia as well as in other developing countries, the risk of climate change is very real, especially since it is an archipelagic country, with 17 thousand islands. The risks are not only detrimental to health but also put farmers and fishermen in trouble.

"We really hope for the support of all G7 countries in the Indonesian Presidency at the G20. See you in Bali. Thank you," the president stated.

During session II of the G7 summit on the topics of food security and gender equality, President Jokowi called on G7 and G20 countries to jointly overcome the food crisis that currently threatens people in developing countries to fall into extreme hunger and poverty.

"(Some) 323 million people in 2022, according to the World Food Programme, are at risk of facing acute food insecurity. The G7 and G20 have a big responsibility to overcome this food crisis. Let us fulfill our responsibilities now and from now on," President Jokowi affirmed.

According to the president, food is the most basic human rights issue. Indubitably, women from poor families suffer the most from food shortages for their children and families.

"We must act quickly to find a concrete solution. Food production must be increased. The global food and fertilizer supply chain must return to normal," the president stated.

In his speech, President Jokowi emphasized the importance of G7 countries' support for the reintegration of Ukraine's wheat exports and Russia's exports of food and fertilizer commodities in global supply chains.

There are two ways to realize this, with the first being the facilitation of Ukraine's grain exports that can begin immediately.

According to the president, the second approach is proactive communication with the public worldwide that food and fertilizer commodities from Russia are not subject to sanctions.

"This intensive communication is very necessary, so that there is no prolonged doubt in the (minds of the) international public. This intensive communication also needs to be strengthened with communication with related parties, such as banks, insurance, shipping, and others," the president explained.

President Jokowi had paid significant attention to the impact of the war on food and fertilizer supply chains.

"(This is) especially for fertilizers, because if we fail to handle it, then a rice crisis involving two billion people, especially in developing countries, can occur," the president cautioned.

At the end of his remarks, the president again called for the importance of the G7 and G20 countries to jointly overcome this food crisis while also inviting G7 leaders to attend the G20 Summit in Bali.

"I am waiting for the G7 leaders to attend the G20 summit. See you in Bali, on November 15-16, 2022," President Jokowi stated.

Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi noted that the president held about nine bilateral meetings with: the Prime Minister of India; French President; Prime Minister of Canada; Chancellor of Germany; British Prime Minister; Prime Minister of Japan; President of the European Commission; President of the Council of Europe; and the Managing Director of the IMF.

During the bilateral meetings, besides inviting other countries to solve the problems of the food supply chain, president Jokowi also highlighted the preparations for the G20 Summit.

"In these meetings, we can clearly see that support for the Indonesian Presidency is still very strong," Marsudi noted.

In 2022, Germany takes over the G7 Presidency and hosts the 48th G7 summit held on June 26-28, 2022, in Schloss Elmau.

The G7, originally G8, was set up in 1975.

The annual G7 summits have, over the years, developed into a platform for determining the course of multilateral discourse and shaping political responses to global challenges.

Written by: Azis Kurmala, Editor: Fardah Assegaf (c) ANTARA 2022

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JAKARTA, Jun 22, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – The G20 members and several relevant international organizations agreed to work together to create the Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) to help countries in need to face any pandemic in the future.

During the 1st G20 Joint Finance and Health Ministerial Meeting held in Yogyakarta on Tuesday, Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani emphasized the urgency for collaborative work between health and finance sectors to better prepared for future pandemics, considering that the COVID-19 would not be the last.

"The world is definitely watching us – how the G20 is going to respond with delivering concrete action in pandemic preparedness and response. The world is waiting for us," Mulyani remarked.

Furthermore, she also asserted the importance of inclusivity in the work of FIF, led together by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, which required the involvement of both developed and developing countries.

"Only then, we can be effective in preparing to tackle the next global pandemic together," Mulyani stated.

"I would like to acknowledge the central role of the WHO in fighting pandemic and the importance of including the voice of developing countries in our institutional arrangement to create the most effective system for pandemic preparedness and response," she added.

The WHO and the World Bank estimated that US$31 billion is required annually for strengthening global health security, according to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

About two-third of that fund could come from existing resources but that leaves a gap of US$10 billion per year. Hence, he expects that the FIF would help close that gap.

WHO and the World Bank have been cooperating to establish the FIF, which would be overseen by a board that takes a decision on funding allocation supported by a technical advisory panel.

Both the board and the technical advisory panel would be supported by the joint WHO-WB secretariat based at the Bank's headquarters in Washington, with assisting staff from the WHO.

According to the plan, the Bank will provide financial and administrative leadership at the secretariat, operate as a representative for the FIF, hold and transfer relief funds, as well as provide administrative services.

Meanwhile, the WHO will provide technical leadership; coordinate input for the technical advisory panel; and prepare relevant technical documentation, recommendations, and reports for the council.

Both the World Bank and WHO will act as implementing entities, along with other global health partners with relevant expertise, including the Global Fund, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

"We look forward to your active participation in building and financing a FIF that is inclusive, equitable, and effective in making our world safer from pandemics," Tedros noted.

To date, the G20 has pushed for an emergency fundraising commitment of around US$1.1 billion from five member countries and one international social organization to mobilize the role of FIF.

The pledges came from the United States, the European Union, Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Wellcome Trust.

Additionally, Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated the meeting was not only focusing on the FIF as the source of funds to face future pandemics, but the world must also think about the uses of funds.

"Because money is (only) half the solution for the health crisis. We need to translate this money into access to vaccines, medicines, and diagnostic tools," he said at a press conference after the joint ministerial meeting.

In order to create such access, he explained, the engagement with private sectors as the producers of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics was crucial.

"We need to talk to them, to engage with them. How can they maintain a certain volume commitment? How then we will be able to distribute equally and very quickly if the next pandemic happens?" he noted.

The establishment of FIF is still in the ongoing discussion that will be continued at the next G20 meetings, hosted this year by Indonesia.

However, as the G20 President, Indonesia will continue to gather as much as possible support from more countries as well as an international organization even philanthropists, in order for them to be able to contribute to the financing side of pandemic preparedness and response.

Written by: Yashinta Difa Pramudyani, Editor: Fardah Assegaf (c) ANTARA 2022

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Nusa Dua, Bali, May 27, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – At the 2022 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) event, the Government of Indonesia offered the world the concept of sustainable resilience as a solution to address the challenges of systemic disaster risk.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo highlighted this concept at the opening ceremony of the 2022 GPDRR in Nusa Dua, here, on Wednesday.

The sustainable resilience concept is considered to be a solution to tackle all forms of disasters, including facing a pandemic and concurrently supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Jokowi remarked.

He highlighted the need to apply several measures to build sustainable resilience.

"First, we should strengthen an anticipatory, responsive, and adaptive disaster preparedness culture as well as institutions in dealing with disasters," President Jokowi stated.

According to the president, disaster mitigation education and government institutions that are synergistic and responsive to disasters must become a shared priority.

Jokowi explained that the second measure deemed necessary is for every country to invest in science, innovation, and technology, including in ensuring access to finance and technology transfer.

"Access to funding is an important issue that we must take seriously. Indonesia has developed a strategy for funding and disaster insurance by establishing a pooling fund and using development funds at local levels to support disaster mitigation and preparedness," he stated.

The third measure is by building infrastructure that is resilient to disasters and climate change.

"(This is) in addition to mitigating (the impacts on) physical infrastructure, such as dams, breakwaters, reservoirs, and embankments; green infrastructure, such as mangrove forests, shrimp seedlings on the coast; … as well as the development of open spaces to be part of the realization of infrastructure development," Jokowi pointed out.

"The protection of vulnerable groups living in high disaster risk areas must also get special attention," he stressed.

Lastly, the Indonesian president invited all countries to commit to implementing global agreements at the national and local levels.

"The Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the SDGs are important international agreements in the efforts to reduce disaster risk and climate change. I invite all countries to be committed and serious about implementing it," Jokowi stated.

He affirmed that disaster risk reduction is an effective investment to prevent future losses.

"To that end, we affirm Indonesia's commitment to implementing the Sendai Framework as well as other international commitments," he stressed.

The head of state also expressed Indonesia's readiness to share experiences and knowledge in disaster mitigation.

"As a disaster-prone country, Indonesia has accumulated knowledge and experience that can be an important lesson for the world, but Indonesia is also eager to learn from international experience," Jokowo emphasized.

"Let's work together to mitigate (impacts and manage risks with regard to) the rise in disasters for a better life today and tomorrow," he concluded.

Appreciation

On the occasion, several United Nations (UN) officials — President of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori — lauded Indonesia for being successful in controlling COVID-19, so that the 2022 GPDRR forum could be held in-person in Nusa Dua, Bali.

"I would like to convey the appreciation of the UN to the president of Indonesia and the people for hosting the 2022 GPDRR," Mohammed stated at the opening ceremony.

"I would like to congratulate and appreciate Indonesia for the measures that have been taken to address COVID (as a) response that had allowed us to meet in this conference here in-person," she stated.

According to the UN deputy secretary general, Indonesia's efforts to vaccinate its population of 217 million people is a major achievement.

"We applaud the leader of Indonesia for its vaccine program for keeping everyone safe and reacting and responding to the COVID pandemic," she stated.

She also affirmed that Indonesia is a critical partner that has taught the world a lot about disaster risk reduction.

"Your willingness to host this important gathering is a testament to the leading role that you (Indonesia) play in sustaining development and climate action," she remarked.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Director Ricardo Mena lauded Indonesia as a country that is leading in the global efforts for disaster risk reduction.

"This is a very important (effort), and I think this is where we think that Indonesia is leading in terms of the global efforts to reduce disaster risks," Ricardo Mena stated in a special interview with ANTARA here on Monday (May 23).

Mena remarked that Indonesia has put forth a strong message about the importance of disaster risk reduction efforts by hosting the 2022 GPDRR.

"We believe that Indonesia is giving a very strong message through the engagement and hosting of the GPDRR here in Bali. We are very thankful to the Indonesian Government for that," he remarked.

The UNDRR director also highlighted Indonesia's leadership in adopting the long-term disaster risk reduction plan.

"I think what I would like to highlight is that Indonesia is one of the few countries in the world that has adopted a very long term plan to reduce disaster risks," he remarked.

"This is very important because if you want to really address the root causes, and you cannot do it in two, three, or five years. It is impossible, and we look and welcome very much the fact that Indonesia has a plan to reduce disaster risks that goes even beyond 2040," he added.

To that end, Mena also encouraged other countries to follow Indonesia's steps in adopting long-term plans for disaster risk reduction.

Indonesia hosts a series of meetings of the 7th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2022) in Bali on May 23-28, 2022.

Written by: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga, Editor: Fardah Assegaf (c) ANTARA 2022

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

JAKARTA, May 19, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – The Indonesian government has urged the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) to continue the discussion on digital connectivity.

"I believe we have all witnessed the importance of information and communication technology in helping people cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny G. Plate, stated.

The DEWG is part of the Indonesian G20 Sherpa Track. The working group originated with the formation of the G20 Digital Economy Task Force (DETF) in 2017 during the German G20 presidency.

The working group was mandated to discuss the implementation of an interconnected, protected, and safe digital technology to develop an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable digital economy.

The second DEWG meeting, under Indonesia's G20 presidency, which is being held in Yogyakarta on May 17-19, 2022, discusses the issue of digital connectivity.

As the chair of the 2022 G20 Presidency, Indonesia has encouraged the 2022 G20 DEWG participants to discuss three priority issues: digital connectivity and post-COVID-19 recovery; digital skills and digital literacy; as well as cross-border data flow and trusted free data flow.

At the meeting, Minister Plate emphasized the importance of overcoming the digital divide by building digital connectivity or telecommunications infrastructure.

During the second DEWG meeting, he urged that the discussion focus on inclusiveness, empowerment, and sustainability for strengthening the global position and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The digital divide has remained an issue until now. According to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in 2021, a total of 2.9 billion people across the world had never used the Internet.

Meanwhile, according to the World Bank data for Indonesia, 94 million adults could not access the Internet via mobile devices in 2019.

"The digital divide remains a challenge. Those who have access to fixed broadband Internet are even fewer," Plate pointed out.

The digital divide has become one of the reasons for the G20 DEWG forum to discuss the issue of digital connectivity.

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics, which is in charge of the DEWG, is seeking to address the digital divide by strengthening collaboration to drive massive construction of digital infrastructure between G20 member countries and the rest of the world.

Digital Connectivity

The discussion on connectivity has become more relevant in the wake of a global economic turmoil that has affected food, commodities, and energy availability as well as caused the inflation rate to soar.

"The discussion on digital connectivity becomes important at the second DEWG meeting because after the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy is greatly supported through the use of digital connections in solving various community problems as well as empowering the community itself," Minister Plate emphasized.

Plate further accentuated that the pandemic had shown the extent to which people are dependent on digital ecosystems in various public sectors, such as education, health and, of course, economic development.

Taking into account the importance of the digital connectivity issue, the priority issue of DEWG is discussed in five subtopics.

First, Plate said, DEWG discusses a common understanding of digital connectivity by placing the community as the main focus of the digital connectivity development efforts.

"This is what we mean by people-centric digital connectivity," he remarked.

The second subtopic of the digital connectivity discussion at the second DEWG meeting is digital security as a key enabler to support the business community.

The intensification of digital communications indirectly also raises new challenges in the form of various digital security risks that threaten the online safety of internet users, especially the increasingly digital economic actors.

Recognizing the importance of digital security in supporting the sustainability of digital businesses in the future, the DEWG decided to facilitate the collection of existing digital security and safety practices.

On the third subtopic, the Working Group agreed to establish a G20 Digital Innovation Network as a continuation of the G20 Innovation League hosted by the G20 Italian presidency last year.

Such a network aims to accommodate and support the collaboration of digital innovation actors around the world, such as start-ups, venture capitalists, corporations, and governments.

On the fourth subtopic, the G20 DEWG welcomes the implementation of the digital transformation expo that will showcase the achievements of G20 members regarding strategic policies and information on digital transformation.

"The Indonesian G20 presidency hopes that the concept of the event would be welcomed positively and enthusiastically by the holders of the next G20 presidency," Minister Plate stated.

On the fifth subtopic, the G20 DEWG supports the notion from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on the smart village and smart island initiative.

"Support for this idea shows Indonesia's commitment to taking advantage of the role of the G20 to solve various issues in the global community. DEWG encourages solidarity in the use of digital transformation, not only from G20 member countries but also non-member countries, especially small island developing states," he stated.

Minister Plate expressed gratitude for the smooth, proper, and focused implementation of the second DEWG meeting.

Plate also reminded all delegates and knowledge partners to join the third DEWG meeting that will be held in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, on July 20-21, 2022.

Written by: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga, Editor: Rahmad Nasution (c) ANTARA 2022

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Washington, Apr 21, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – The second G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting expects Indonesia's G20 Presidency to bring about a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated.

"(G20) members hope that the current geopolitical situation, particularly related to the war in Ukraine, will be handled," Indrawati noted at a press conference of the second G20 FMCBG meeting on Thursday.

The expectation is based on the fact that the global situation has worsened and changed rapidly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the Russia-Ukraine war, she remarked.

Moreover, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has a very dynamic implication, including on the energy, food, and fertilizer price hike, she affirmed.

Indrawati said Indonesia, which currently holds the G20 presidency, will continue to conduct intensive communication and consultations with all G20 members to address the very dynamic situation.

"The G20 good governance is actually based on consultations as well as cooperation," she remarked.

Indonesia continues to hold discussions with all G20 member states to find ways to get out of the various global economic risks that result not only from the war in Ukraine but also from the pandemic, she stated.

The minister emphasized the current need for an exit strategy since several countries were under the threat of high inflation while the global energy and food price hike will increasingly create a challenging situation for policy makers.

According to Indrawati, G20 members are concerned about inflationary pressures that tend to prompt several central banks to raise the policy interest rates that will eventually lead to faster-than-expected global liquidity tightening.

Hence, the higher level policy becomes the focus to fulfill the exit strategy-related commitment that is well-calibrated, planned, and communicated to support recovery and reduce the potential impact of a spillover, she stressed.

The collective and coordinated actions are not only aimed at mitigating the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war but also at controlling the pandemic. The actions will remain high on the list of G20's priorities, she stated.

G20 members have recorded an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in several regions that burdened growth, extended supply disruption, worsened inflationary pressure, and slowed down global recovery, she remarked.

Written by Astrid Faidlatul H, Suharto, Editor: Fardah Assegaf (c) ANTARA 2022

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com