Jakarta – The Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum High Level Conference (Summit) will be held in Bali, Indonesia, on October 11 2023.
Project Coordinator of the AIS Forum Secretariat, Riny Modaso, said that the implementation of the 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.
Meanwhile, Jodi Mahardi, Deputy for Coordination of Maritime Sovereignty and Energy, Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment of the Republic of Indonesia in his opening remarks at the event again emphasized the need for AIS countries to strengthen commitment and solidarity in facing common challenges.
“No one can understand the seriousness and complexity of the problems we (AIS countries) face better than the island and archipelago countries themselves. And, no one will understand the solutions to our problems better than the people who in real life are affected by these problems and have solved them themselves,” he said.
Jodi also emphasized the importance of the AIS Forum as a forum for island and island countries to contribute to bringing resolutions to global problems and raising voices and concerns for island countries.
Because, continued Jodi, this forum belongs to all island and archipelagic countries in the world, regardless of size, location and level of economic development.
“This is a hope for all of us to be able to foster a sense of ownership, a desire to strengthen collaboration, and expand the impact of our cooperation to many other communities in various countries and regions,” he concluded.
Therefore, it is hoped that the 2023 AIS Summit will be an opportunity to establish cooperation with countries that have similar geographical characteristics, in this case islands. Apart from that, the 2023 AIS Summit can also strengthen the role of the island nation in various regions of the world.
