Bali – Bali, known as an exotic island paradise, will host an upcoming important event, namely the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum 2023 Summit. Delegates from various archipelagic island countries throughout the world have ensure their presence at the event which will take place on 10-11 October 2023 which will take place at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC), Bali.
Director General of Information and Public Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Ministry of Communication and Information), Usman Kansong, explained that the AIS Forum High Level Conference (Summit) will be attended by several high-ranking officials from member countries and also representatives from world organizations.
“Confirmed attendance includes Comoros, Micronesia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Príncipe, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Fiji, Tonga, Singapore, Madagascar, Marshall Island, Palau, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Cabo Verde, New Zealand, Cyprus, Ireland, Japan, Samoa, England, Cook Islands, Malta, Belize, Sri Lanka. Don’t forget international organizations such as MSG, PIF and ASEAN. “We hope that as we get closer to October 11 2023, more people will confirm their attendance,” said Usman.
Usman also invited national and local media to expand news coverage about the 2023 AIS Forum Summit, with the aim of letting the public know and understand, especially regarding real examples of actions taken by the AIS Forum and the benefits it provides for Indonesia.
“We must also promote the 2023 AIS Forum summit widely so that the public knows that Indonesia is currently the initiator for island and archipelagic countries to meet and discuss various important issues. “To strengthen the dissemination of information and its benefits for the nation and society, we present AISPedia,” emphasized Usman.
In line with this, Sora Lokita, Assistant Deputy for Delimitation of Maritime Zones and Border Areas at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Kemenko Marves), stated that a number of countries consisting of islands and archipelagos would take part in the first AIS Forum Summit held in Bali.
“Indonesia is seen as having many best practices. We don’t want to save it just for our own needs, but we want to create a global movement where we can mobilize solutions to the problems of island countries and archipelagos from all over the world. “The hope is that this movement will become more massive and finally island and archipelagic countries can face challenges together,” hoped Sora Lokita.
Sora firmly stated that the main objective of the AIS Forum Summit was as a platform to express aspirations and hopes that prioritize the interests of the people in the country itself.
“At the AIS Forum Summit which was held in Bali, one of the main targets was the leaders’ declaration which contained the hopes of state leaders, how in the future this AIS Forum Summit will continue to develop into an international organization that can help the benefit of islanders or residents in “island and archipelagic countries, as well as improving and improving various programs and work that have been carried out by the AIS Forum,” he explained.
Sora then explained that the AIS Forum Summit was the result of ideas and innovations originating from Indonesia. This idea first emerged in 2017 as a response to the challenges faced by Indonesia as an archipelagic country. These challenges include climate change, developing economic potential in the maritime sector, connectivity problems, efforts to empower coastal communities, and marine pollution problems. (*)
