Bali – The first Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Summit took place in Bali, Indonesia. The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu), Retno Marsudi chaired a series of ministerial level meetings at the High Level Conference (KTT) of the Island and Island Countries Forum (AIS Forum Summit) in Nusa Dua, Bali on Tuesday (10/10).
“The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs is tasked with chairing the entire series of AIS Forum ministerial level meetings,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal.
The AIS Forum ministerial level meeting began with an opening session and introductory remarks. The event continued with the signing of collaborative partnership documents among the participating countries present.
The meeting agenda continued with the submission of reports from high-level officials participating in the AIS Forum, reports on AIS Forum activities and proposed work plans, general statements, as well as the adoption of a draft Declaration by the AIS Forum Leaders.
At the meeting, the ministers also discussed final preparations for the first AIS Forum Summit, which will be held at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC) on Wednesday (11/10).
Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has emphasized Indonesia’s commitment to pushing this forum as an inclusive forum that focuses on the development of island and archipelagic countries.
As quoted in the official infopublik press release, the AIS Forum is committed to realizing various breakthroughs and innovative smart solutions for a sustainable marine future.
The AIS Forum Summit is a forum for cooperation between island and archipelagic countries which aims to strengthen collaboration to overcome four global problems, namely climate change mitigation and adaptation, blue economy, handling plastic waste at sea, and maritime governance.
As stated in the Manado Joint Declaration, at the beginning of the formation of the AIS Forum on November 1 2018 which was agreed upon by 47 countries before growing to 51 countries as it is now, there are four focuses that will be collaborated on.
Previously, the Head of the AIS Forum Secretariat, Riny Modaso, stated that the two programs were a derivative of the AIS Forum’s mission to provide innovative solutions in the blue economy and academic fields.
“AIS Forum pioneers and accommodates innovative solutions which are implemented into various derivative programs, in order to achieve sustainable development goals for the future of island and archipelagic countries,” said Riny.
For your information, AIS Blue Hub, previously known as AIS Startup Blue Hub, was launched to facilitate blue sector players to develop their businesses. Meanwhile, the AIS Research and Development Center is a centralized implementation of the research and development programs that have been implemented by the AIS Forum.
