Bali – Indonesia is trusted to host the 2023 Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum High Level Conference/Summit, for the first time after being held for the previous seven years.
“Indonesia is seen as having many best practices. We don’t want to save it only for our own needs, but we want to create a global movement where we can mobilize solutions to the problems of island and island countries from all over the world. “The hope is that this movement will become more massive and ultimately island and archipelagic countries can face challenges together,” explained Assistant Deputy for Delimitation of Maritime Zones and Border Areas at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Sora Lokita.
He also recalled the aim of establishing ASEAN 56 years ago, namely creating a peaceful and prosperous region.
Regarding the aim of holding the AIS Forum Summit, it was explained that the AIS Forum Summit was an idea and innovation driven by Indonesia.
Director General of Information and Public Communication at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Usman Kansong, said that initially the idea for the AIS Forum Summit was initiated in 2017 based on the challenges faced by Indonesia as an archipelagic country. Not only the problem of climate change, developing the potential of the blue economy, but also problems of connectivity, empowerment of coastal communities, and marine pollution.
“With this forum, it is hoped that heads of island and island states will attend and to date there have been 30 state officials who have confirmed they will attend the AIS Forum Summit,” explained Usman Kansong.
Meanwhile, Project Coordinator of the AIS Forum Secretariat, Riny Modaso, said that the implementation of this summit would later become a strategic platform to strengthen the AIS Forum’s concrete programs in various fields throughout island countries and archipelagic countries.
“AIS Forum continues to be dedicated to facilitating cooperation and innovation between island and archipelagic countries, with the upcoming activity, namely the First Summit in Bali, which will mark a historic moment in its journey as a global forum,” said Riny.
On a different occasion, Jodi Mahardi as Deputy for Maritime Sovereignty and Energy Coordination, Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries also emphasized the need for AIS countries to strengthen commitment and solidarity in facing common challenges.
