Jakarta – Indonesia is hosting the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum 2023 Summit which will take place in Bali Province on 10-11 October 2023. The 2023 AIS Summit carries the theme “Fostering Collaboration, Enabling Innovation for Our Ocean and Our Future”, the meeting will focus on three important aspects, namely blue economic development, the challenge of climate change, and strengthening solidarity between island and archipelagic countries. The forum is considered to be Indonesia’s contribution as an initiator in dealing with global issues related to maritime affairs.
In order to make the 2023 AIS Summit a success, Radio Elshinta invited the Executive Director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Tauhid Ahmad to discuss the momentum of holding the 2023 AIS Forum Summit in Indonesia as host.
“This hosting momentum can be used as an activity to show the world that Indonesia has potential through natural resources, the tourism sector, and various other potentials related to the 2023 AIS Forum Summit. This activity can also be used as a show case, especially since it will take place in Bali is one of the most strategic locations for world-class events. “This has also been proven by the success of several other international events held in Indonesia,” said Tauhid Ahmad
Furthermore, Tauhid said that Indonesia’s position as host was also expected to provide recommendations that could influence the policies of other archipelagic countries, which would be beneficial for Indonesia.
The holding of the 2023 AIS Forum Summit which will take place in Bali on October 11 2023 can be a forum for Indonesia to contribute its thoughts regarding solutions to the challenges faced by island and archipelagic countries.
As host, the Indonesian Government can invite AIS Summit delegates to various Indonesian coastal tours, so that when the delegates return to their respective countries they can share their experiences when traveling to Indonesian coasts or can even share their experiences on social media.
“One of the positive impacts that Indonesia can get from holding the 2023 AIS Forum Summit event in Bali is an increase in the tourism sector. Then, positive image. “By holding it in Indonesia, it can give an image that Indonesia’s economic conditions are much better at macro level, so that it can attract investors to come and invest in Indonesia,” he added.
It is hoped that the AIS Summit can reach a cooperation agreement to increase the capacity and quality of coastal tourism.
This collaboration can take the form of facilitating the flow of tourism services between countries, facilitating document services such as visas and so on, recommending hotels and restaurants that already have standards, as well as comparative studies to AIS countries to study coastal tourism. The AIS Summit can also be a promotional event for coastal tourism in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, regarding the target of the 2023 AIS Forum Summit, Tauhid said that there needs to be a commitment from island and archipelagic countries to work together to face the issue of climate change.
“The target of the 2023 AIS Forum Summit is that island and archipelagic countries can work together to reduce the impact of climate change. “This joint commitment must be included in the results of the 2023 AIS Forum Summit, which is formulated in a joint agreement or MoU,” said Tauhid.
On another occasion, Maritime Observer from the Lemhanas Strategic Center Alumni Association (IKAL SC) Capt. Marcellus Hakeng Jayawibawa believes that the archipelagic countries conference will be very beneficial for Indonesia, especially regarding the recognition of the existence of the archipelago as a large archipelagic country.
“The 2023 AIS Forum Summit is a golden opportunity for Indonesia to become a strong maritime country. “The reason is, he said that the current world view geopolitically has shifted to the Indo-Pacific region in various sectors,” he added
He also said that Indonesia’s economic progress could be a real example for other archipelagic countries, especially those that still have the status of developing countries. This is a strong background for the blue economy issue which will also be discussed at the 2023 AIS Forum Summit.
