Nusa Dua – A series of sessions at the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum 2023 Summit (Summit) in Bali resulted in various agreements and strengthening maritime and blue economy cooperation, including the Blue Economy Business Development and Research Program.
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
This first AIS Forum Summit is aimed at strengthening the foundation and framework of AIS Forum cooperation in opening up new opportunities for collaboration and participation to overcome global problems, such as climate change and handling plastic waste.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Ayodhia Kalake, explained that the AIS forum is a form of Indonesia’s leadership in the international arena.
“We, as the largest archipelagic country in the world and also an economic power since the G20, have placed Indonesia in a strategic position and role to carry out collaboration with archipelagic countries,” he said.
According to him, Indonesia’s involvement is a very important step, especially in efforts to realize a sustainable world ocean, and will be the main actor in the world community’s struggle to fight the impacts of climate change.
It is known that the Blue Hub and AIS Research and Development Center were launched directly by the Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar and the Head of UNDP Indonesia Representative Norimasa Shimomura. Representatives from various AIS countries, company representatives, academics, and participants from various circles also attended the launch.
“We hope that these programs can accommodate and facilitate blue innovators, academics and entrepreneurs. “Together we build and develop the blue sector,” said Riny.
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.
The launch of these two AIS Forum programs is the opening of a series of events at the 2023 AIS Forum Summit which consists of the Blue Economy High-Level Dialogue, AIS Startup Blue Business Summit, and AIS Research and Development Conference
The AIS Forum Summit is Indonesia’s breakthrough in its efforts to embrace and increase cooperation with all island and archipelagic countries.
The 2023 AIS Summit itself is the first summit of the world’s island nation forum. A number of island and archipelagic countries participated in the first AIS Forum Summit which took place smoothly on the Island of the Gods.
