President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo welcomes Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the welcoming dinner during the G20 Summit in Badung, Bali on November 15, 2022.

UK must build new long-term partnerships with countries that will shape the future

Countries like Indonesia will play a far greater role in shaping the way the world looks over the century to come.

2 years ago

Climate talks after the Xi-Biden meeting in Bali

That Xi and Biden agreed to resume bilateral climate talks is a positive outcome that could motivate other countries to pick up the slack in meeting their Paris climate commitments. ...

2 years ago

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EU has no choice but to accept a more powerful ASEAN

President Jokowi wants the European nations to let the Southeast Asian nations develop their economies in their own way. ...

2 years ago

The Latest

The World Health Organization reports that more than 1.3 billion people across the globe, or 15 percent of the world’s population, “experience significant disability”, while UNESCAP estimates that over 700 million persons with disabilities live in the Asia-Pacific region.

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Disability rights and the climate crisis

Each step of the process related to climate change mitigation and adaptation must involve persons with disabilities, as they are disproportionately affected by climate change and their exclusion can be a matter of life and death.

2 years ago

Online business: Men work at a distribution station in the 855,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, on Feb. 5, 2019. Inside a huge warehouse on Staten Island, thousands of robots are busy distributing thousands of items sold by the giant of online sales, Amazon.

Academia

Good companies survive slowdowns. Great companies innovate.

In the next decade, Southeast Asia will be a leading global hub for innovation; the hottest region where all ambitious businesses will want to be.

2 years ago

No entry: Police cordon off a shopping area in Bandung on Dec. 7 after a suicide bomber attacked the Astana Anyar police station nearby. A police officer was killed in the incident.

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High recidivism rate threatens counterterrorism strategy

Many terrorist ex-convicts in Indonesia are still exposed to dangerous jihadist ideologies after they are released from prison.

2 years ago

Done deal: Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi (right) and his Singaporean counterpart S. Iswaran show the documents of Jakarta-Singapore Flight Information Region (FIR) Realignment Agreement as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (second right) and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong look on Jan. 25, 2022, Bintan island, Riau Islands.

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What next after signing of Indonesia-Singapore Defense Cooperation Agreement?

Singapore claims that based on Article 51 of UNCLOS it has the right to conduct military exercises in some part of the Indonesian archipelagic waters.

2 years ago

Big boost for SMEs: GO-FOOD has grown to become the number one online food delivery service in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, with 400,000 merchant partners as of today in Southeast Asia, of which 96 percent are Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The revenue of GO-FOOD’s MSME partners has increased by 3.5 times on average since they first joined the platform.

Academia

Future readiness: Why smaller businesses’ success matters

Research has shown that SMEs and mid-sized companies tend to be less resilient than their larger counterparts, but they in turn display much higher levels of agility.

2 years ago

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (front center) and ministers, senior officials and representatives from Pacific countries and intergovernmental organizations pose for a group photo during the Indonesia-Pacific Forum for Development High Level Dialogue on Wednesday in Nusa Dua, Bali.

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Leveraging Indonesia’s economic prowess for the Pacific

Indonesia could start by considering giving unilateral trade preferences with specific requirements tied to Indonesia’s geopolitical goals, such as respect for Indonesia’s territorial integrity.

2 years ago

Health for all: A mother brings her child to a community health center (Puskesmas) in Dago, Bandung, West Java, on Nov. 21, 2022 for a polio vaccination. The government has declared an “extraordinary occurrence” of polio after the discovery of cases in Aceh.

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We need stronger universal health coverage after pandemic

Global health security is centered on preventing, detecting and responding to public health threats, particularly by protecting people from infectious disease threats.

2 years ago

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) shakes hands with President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo as he arrives for the G20 leaders' summit in Nusa Dua, Bali on Nov. 15, 2022.

Academia

Xi's reelection may help RI economy, but protests may worsen anti-Chinese sentiments

Indonesia cannot turn a blind eye to what is currently happening in China – from massive protests against the government’s prolonged lockdown policy to repressive acts by the Chinese security forces against civilians.

2 years ago

Smokestacks belch noxious fumes into the air from the Suralaya coal-fired power plant in Cilegon, Banten on Sept. 21, 2018.

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Indonesia’s climate target still got the worst rating despite being “more ambitious”

Global research coalition Climate Action Tracker (CAT) categorises Indonesia’s climate goals as “Critically Insufficient”, which means they are far from enough to curb global warming.

2 years ago

A TV screen displays footage of former police internal affairs chief Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo attending a closed-door questioning by ethics commissioners at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Aug. 25. Ferdy has been accused of the premeditated
murder of his aide-de-camp Brig. Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat in July.

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When FIFA World Cup competes with Yosua’s murder trial

In the wake of growing public distrust in the law enforcers and judges due to the alleged judiciary mafia practices, it would be too long to wait for the panel of judges to deliver their verdict on Yosua’s murder case.

2 years ago

Citizens in need: Local people line up for the government’s cash transfer program in Rangkasbitubung district, Lebak regency in Banten on Nov. 13. Over 1,000 lower-income families from nine districts are entitled to the assistance disbursed under the Family Hope Program.

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Targeting protection for vulnerable groups amid global recession

The exclusion errors of the government's social safety net program during the pandemic indicate that the provision of targeted social protection must be improved, especially for the six provinces most likely to be impacted hard the global recession.

2 years ago

Supporting hand: Workers make hand-rolled cigarettes on Sept. 2 at an unidentified factory in Kudus, Central Java. The factory’s workers are among the recipients of the government’s direct-cash assistance, which provides Rp 300,000 (US$19.22) per month per household.

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Asia Pacific mayors forge powerful alliance to end tobacco use

The Health Ministry proposed the amendment of the regulation in May 2021, only to stir a conflict with several other ministries.

2 years ago

Artists perform a traditional play held in conjunction with the second Indonesian Women's Ulama Congress, hosted by the local pesantren (Islamic boarding school) Hasyim As'yari, in Jepara, Central Java, on Nov.26.

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Indonesia’s solidarity urgent for repressed nations

Indonesians remain wary of religious justifications of violence against civilians: On Dec. 7, a suicide bomber, a convict released on parole last year, attacked a police station in Bandung, West Java, killing one policeman.

2 years ago

East meets West: European Union High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell (right) attends the EU ministerial meeting as part of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in Phnom Penh, on Aug. 4, 2022.

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EU can do much more to support ASEAN’s ambitious agenda

In order to change shifts and reach a new level of cooperation, it is indispensable to upgrade the level of political mechanisms between EU and ASEAN.

2 years ago

The Indonesian delegation to the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, pose for a photo, in Geneva, 1958, with Ahmad Subardjo Djoyoadisuryo (third left) and Mochtar Kusumaatmadja (third right).

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Reflecting on the 40th anniversary of the constitution of the oceans

Some have argued that the convention gives too much power to coastal states and that it fails to adequately protect the rights of other nations with regard to the use of the oceans.

2 years ago

MNC Land, owned by tycoon Hary Tanoesoedibjo, is said to redevelop the site on which Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort was built.

Academia

MNC Group clarifies

Trump Organization is only responsible for operation and branding, while the owner is MNC Group.

2 years ago

Planting season: A farmer collects paddy seedlings to be planted in a rice field in Pesarean village in the Central Java regency of Tegal on Nov. 14, 2022. A 2010 study found that the new rice fields in Indonesia lacked healthy soil, good water quality and microorganism to produce maximum yields.

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Healthy soil for more nutritious food and healthier planet

Managing soil health with sustainable-agriculture practices and diversifying agriculture crops will lead to the nutrient density in harvested crop products and enrich crop products destined for people's consumption.

2 years ago

People in need: Residents of the Cibeunying Kidul area of Bandung bring home social assistance packages from the President on May 4, 2022. The assistance was part of the social protection program to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Bank Indonesia strategy for perfect storm 2023

The fiscal authority can use the funds to boost economic growth and to provide social aid funds for people affected by the global recession.

2 years ago

Click and buy: A Jakarta resident uses a device to shop on a local e-commerce platform on June 15. The digital market continues to thrive in Indonesia and Asia in general.

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The future of Indonesia's digital-tax regime after G20 Summit

E-commerce taxation should be governed by a separate law, given its nature as a regular fiscal instrument rather than an emergency-financial response to the precarious situation.

2 years ago

Immunity boost: A health worker administers a booster vaccine in the Blok M area of South Jakarta on Aug. 14. Over 58.8 million people, of the 234.6 million targeted, have received booster shots so far.

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Protecting people with weak immune system from COVID-19

New research has found that the effectiveness of a third vaccine dose is lower in patients with immunodeficiency disorders.

2 years ago

An attendee poses for a picture near a model Earth during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 19, 2022.

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Tracking ASEAN countries’ energy agendas from COP27

In the short term, methane emissions are still expected to rise steadily, but in the long run, ASEAN member states may have to reconsider using gas as a transitional fuel.

2 years ago

Taking lead: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (second right) speaks during a press conference to announce new cabinet members at the Prime Minister’s office in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Dec. 2, 2022.

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Anwar’s victory precursor to Nusantara’s economic, sociocultural revival

The political imagination and economic revival of Southeast Asia, especially Nusantara writ large, cannot be ruled out.

2 years ago

Change of guard: Indonesia's President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (right) receives the gavel from Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen as the ASEAN chairmanship is passed to Indonesia at the closing ceremony of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Phnom Penh on Nov. 13, 2022.

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Adopting G20 success in ASEAN meetings and summits

Jokowi says he will prioritize economic cooperation, not only among ASEAN member states, but in more strategic, multilateral collaboration with industrialized and advanced nations.

2 years ago

Closing statement: Ministers deliver statements during the closing plenary at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Nov. 20, 2022.

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The good, the bad and the ugly for forests and people in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

Despite the muted role of the region in the lead up to the loss and damage agreement, some countries in Southeast Asia demonstrated moments of progress and leadership, occasionally making headlines.

2 years ago

Anticorruption People’s Movement activists rally at the Digulis traffic circle in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

Academia

Fake behavior strikes a chord with the corrupt

Fake behavior is all around and can have a domino effect which leads to corruption.

2 years ago

Police officers line up to enter the State Palace in Jakarta on Oct. 14, 2022.

Academia

Who will clean up Indonesia’s dirty cop problem?

Corruption is rife within Indonesia’s police ranks but it’s unclear whether there is the appetite to clean up their act.

2 years ago

Climate activists protest outside the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center, during the COP27 climate conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of the same name, on Nov. 17, 2022.

Academia

Arranging blended for financing energy transition

A clear taxonomy would allow investors to gauge the climate risk in their portfolio in the same way that bond ratings allow them to gauge the financial risk.

2 years ago

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