A lone visitor walks past piles of books at the Blok M Square shopping center in South Jakarta, on Sept. 8, 2022. Many kiosks selling books have closed their doors permanently due to COVID-19, leaving behind piles of dusty old books covered in tarp in front of the stores.

Reversing COVID-19 impact, rebuilding economies in Asia

The pandemic has exposed significant weaknesses in existing healthcare systems in many countries of Asia-Pacific due to many years of underinvestment in public health.

2 years ago

Academia

Ocean 20: Powering sustainable ocean for buoyant global economy

Prioritizing a sustainable ocean economy will bring multiple benefits for people, businesses, nature and the climate and the G20 can play a pivotal role in leading this agenda. ...

2 years ago

Academia

A more progressive ASEAN under Jokowi’s leadership

The regional leaders have barred the junta from attending official functions of ASEAN, but this punitive measure is almost meaningless in the goal of compelling the junta to implement the five-point consensus. ...

2 years ago

The Latest

The price of war: A man walks past the ruins of a building destroyed in the course of the Russia-Ukraine war in Mariupol, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on Nov. 9, 2022. The war has lasted over eight months now, with no end in sight.

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How Indonesia can pave the way for peace in Ukraine

Ending the war in Ukraine will not only provide space and time for the world to resolve other socioeconomic problems, but also to prevent bigger crises from occurring.

2 years ago

All eyes, all ears: Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, in southern China's Guangxi province on Nov. 27, 2020.

Academia

Filling in the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership

The comprehensive strategic partnership will open a wider door for economic cooperation between ASEAN and China, either through bilateral or multilateral approach.

2 years ago

Making the point: Chairman of National Population and Family Planning Board Hasto Wardoyo reads out the country’s statement as head of Indonesia’s delegation to the ICPD25 summit in Nairobi in November last year.

Academia

Rights-based family planning central to sustainable development

An estimated 140 million women in the Asia and the Pacific region still do not use a modern method of contraception, despite wanting to avoid or delay a pregnancy.

2 years ago

Indonesian police stand in front of banners of the Group of 20 Summit near a venue for the G20 Finance Ministers Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, on July 14.

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Indonesia leads the G20 during the tumultuous year

As the G20 president, Indonesia could not remain silent when fellow developing countries in Africa and the Middle East struggled to provide staple foods for their people.

2 years ago

A Pertamina truck carrying BioAvtur J2.4 parks beside a CN 235-220 test plane during a ground running test in Bandung, West Java, on Sept. 6, 2021.

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Mandatory B40 risky after cooking oil policy mishap

The government’s antimarket domestic market obligation (DMO) and low ceiling prices of cooking oil in time of skyrocketing international prices sent the wrong signals to the market, which resulted in producers holding their stock to avoid losses, causing scarcity and prices rising far beyond the ceiling prices.

2 years ago

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland (left) speaks as Brookings Institute vice president and foreign policy director Suzanne Maloney looks on during a talk hosted on Oct. 11, 2022 at the research group’s headquarters in Washington, DC.

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The 'Freeland doctrine' and its implications for the Asia-Pacific

A major flaw in Chrystia Freeland's world view is that it equates "liberal democracy" with Western nations and fails to recognize the democratic achievements of the "in between" nations like Indonesia and other ASEAN states.

2 years ago

Indonesian way: Hostesses greet participants and delegates at the Indonesia pavilion inside the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center, on the first day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 6, 2022.

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COP27: Indonesia can lead the global ‘just’ climate transition

Indonesia still needs to catch up in meeting its governmental target of a 23-percent renewable energy-share mix by 2025, with renewables now accounting for 11 percent of the total.

2 years ago

All ears: People listen as they attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) conference at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 8, 2022.

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Climate crisis and alternative funding for future climate action

The government estimates the total cost to fulfill the carbon emissions target will reach Rp 3.78 quadrillion (US$240 billion) by 2030.

2 years ago

Doing the work: Several women sort plastic waste, which is a part of the waste bank program in Medan. (Courtesy of Armawati Chaniago)

Academia

Governments in ASEAN should embrace second-life plastic

By some estimates there are up to 5 million collectors in Indonesia hand-picking increasingly valuable plastic items from the 4.8 million tons of mismanaged waste each year.

2 years ago

Back to normal: People throng a shopping mall in Surabaya on Oct. 13 to watch a rock climbing competition for young people. As the government has loosened COVID-19 restrictions, shopping malls and other public facilities have resumed normal activities.

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Indonesia: A bright spot in a dark global economy

There are two ways to moderate global inflation pressure besides containing the pandemic: first, increasing relative productivity and, second, enhancing domestic supply.

2 years ago

The genome is like the human instruction manual, where words are genes and letters our DNA.

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Genome sequencing and the future of precision medicine in Indonesia

The shortage of genomic data from local patients has hampered the country’s bid to build a more individualized treatment called “precision medicine”.

2 years ago

Fomepizole is a competitive inhibitor that can treat the type of kidney failure that results only from poisoning by ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, the two harmful substances identified in contaminated cough syrup.

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Responsible reporting: Case against acute kidney failure 'cure'

The media has a responsibility to the public in reporting medical facts accurately and in a well-structured article that avoids potential misinterpretation.

2 years ago

A show of creativity: Visitors enjoy artwork by artist Nandang Gawe.

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How Indonesia can institutionalize funding support for creativity

The Creative Economy Law has cleared the way for the facilitation of creative economy ecosystem development funding.

2 years ago

Security personnel walk in front of flags of the G20 member countries outside the group’s meeting venue in Jimbaran, Bali, on Sep. 15.

Academia

The foreign policy fallout of COVID-19

The pandemic gave health diplomacy its stiffest test. While there were successes, geopolitical power games resulted in failures.

2 years ago

Academia

A united front in fight against the 'silent pandemic'

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest public health challenges of our time and we’re at a crossroads on how to combat it.

2 years ago

In this file photo taken on Dec. 9, 2020, a health worker prepares a syringe to inoculate a volunteer with a COVID-19 vaccine produced by China's Sinopharm during its trial at the Clinical Studies Center of the Cayetano Heredia University in Lima.

Academia

China’s vaccine vision turns crisis to opportunity

The COVID-19 outbreak could have decimated China’s reputation. Here's why it didn’t.

2 years ago

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin opening the the G20's Health Working Group meeting in Yogayakarta, March 28.

Academia

Bringing the skills of a diplomat to global health challenges

COVID-19 highlighted the importance of strong global networks to address big issues. What’s needed are the people to drive them.

2 years ago

A guard is seen behind fences delineating the closed-loop ‘bubble' set up by China as a preventative measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in the Chinese capital on January 29, 2022.

Academia

Broken China-US relations put the world's health at risk

China and the US cooperated for many years on health issues and it’s in the world's best interests they continue.

2 years ago

Youth climate activists hold a demonstration outside the building where JPMorgan Chase was holding their annual shareholders meeting on May 17, 2022 in New York City.

Academia

Making global health greener, fairer, and younger

Global health organisations are missing many of the voices affected by their decisions.

2 years ago

A medical worker administers a booster COVID-19 vaccine dose at Qbig shopping mall in Pagedangan, Tangerang, Banten, on Sept. 18, 2022. The government aims to accelerate the booster shot rollout and has set a coverage target of 100 million by early 2023.

Academia

Asian nations still hedging in global health diplomacy race

Although health diplomacy is instrumental in gaining influence and traction, its international rivalry is not necessarily healthy.

2 years ago

A view of the main entrance of the Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Center where the United Nations Climate
Change Conference (COP27) will take place, in the Red Sea resort of
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 5, 2022.

Academia

It’s time to get serious about climate adaptation

Climate change is no longer a far-off threat. It’s here, affecting lives and livelihoods and disrupting hydrological and other ecological cycles.

2 years ago

Meeting of minds: A man passes the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, displaying a window decal for the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings on Oct. 10, the first day of the event.

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G20: A beacon of hope amid a global recession

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimate that as many as 31 countries are expected to come to the brink of recession next year.

2 years ago

Going summit: Participants walk outside of the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre before the COP27 climate summit opening in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday.

Academia

How will Indonesia balance economic growth with its green transition?

In 2021 alone, Indonesia cut 10.37 million tons of carbon dioxide from its energy plants, representing 210.8 percent of its initial target.

2 years ago

'What can I help you with?': Across Indonesia, chatbots and digital assistants are becoming a normal, everyday element of customer service solutions.

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Managing digital talents to provide high-quality e-government

Indonesia is currently ranked 88th out of 193 countries for electronic-based government services, lagging far behind our neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.

2 years ago

Hindu religious leaders participate in a mass prayer event on Oct. 26, wishing for the success of the Group of 20 Summit slated for Nov. 15-16, in Nusa Dua, Bali. At least 1,200 Hindu religious leaders from across Bali as well as Buddhist, Christian, Confucian and Muslim leaders participate in the prayers, which were also followed by around 150,000 people.

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G20 leaders, please don’t come to Bali just to quarrel

If the leaders, or some of them, are not willing or unable to work together to address the world’s economic and security conundrum, at least they can lower their ego so as not to worsen the suffering of many people across the globe.

2 years ago

Participants visit the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre, ready for the COP27 climate summit, in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, on November 5, 2022

Academia

Fighting the calamitous climate crisis: More urgent now than ever

From the Pacific to South Asia to the Sahel, rising sea levels, scorching heat and terrible floods are a threat to people’s safety and security.

2 years ago

A small coffee business displays its goods and QRIS code at an MSME event in Bangli, Bali, on Sunday (9/8/2020).

Academia

Digital payments hold the key to untapped growth in Southeast Asia

A recent survey from Stripe found that 53 percent of shoppers in Malaysia said they would abandon a purchase if the checkout process took three minutes.

2 years ago

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