Bali, 6 December 2022 (TDI): The Indonesian government has promised to raise its financial support for Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum activities to a maximum of US $5 million, or roughly Rp77.6 billion, in 2022.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan noted that the funds were intended to finance AIS Forum initiatives for the following five years in the AIS Forum meeting in Bali today.
Furthermore, while referring to the funds announced by Indonesia, Pandjaitan said that “I think once this starts, other countries will follow it”.
The Ministry stated that Indonesia contributed US$1 million, or roughly Rp15.5 billion, in 2019. Speaking to the participants, he stated, “the funds from Indonesia have been used efficiently to construct the AIS Forum Secretariat, implement different cooperation initiatives, and increase direct cooperation between member countries.
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Moreover, Pandjaitan expected that the other 47 countries that make up the AIS Forum will follow Indonesia’s example. The majority of the AIS Forum’s members are from low- and middle-income nations.
In the meeting, Minister Pandjaitan announced that Indonesia was committed to expanding its contribution to the AIS Forum by up to three times.
In addition, Pandjaitan did not mention how much money will be given to the AIS Forum or when it would be given.
The AIS Forum was a grouping of the island and archipelagic nations that Indonesia started in 2017. It was formally established in 2018 in Manado, North Sulawesi, in cooperation with the UNDP.
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Members of AIS Forum 2022 Meeting
Representatives from 21 nations and two international organizations attended this year’s AIS Forum meeting. Five nations were directly represented by their ministers, and the others by senior officials.
