Indonesia Global Compact Network (IGCN) is honored to be part of the national organizer of the Nusantara Ocean Week 2024.
The Nusantara Ocean Week 2024 is a forum for Indonesian maritime stakeholders to encourage sustainable development towards “Indonesia Emas 2045.” This conference is anticipated to stimulate the advancement of cross-sector and cross-regional stakeholder networks, particularly emphasizing aspects of culture and various issues related to maritime activities, ranging from nature conservation to technological development.
The event’s agenda includes the Svarnasamudra conference, exhibitions, and excursions. IGCN was present at the Svarnasamudra conference, exhibitions, and excursions at OceanX ship to exchange ideas and discuss sustainable development in the maritime field with other stakeholders.
Not only does Indonesia’s history consist of Suwarnadwipa (Golden Island) or Suvarnabhumi (Golden Land), but Indonesia also has Svarnasamudra (Golden Sea), which illustrates a rich sea region. Hence, the Svarnasamudra Conference aims to bring together stakeholders in the marine dimension of long-term development and provide a valuable platform network. The Svarnasamudra Conference was organized by the Department of Geography, FMIPA, University of Indonesia (UI), together with the Suar Bahri Kultura Foundation, Indonesia Global Compact Network, and the Center for Maritime Studies FMIPA UI, with support from Bappenas RI and Coordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment. This conference carries the theme “Valorising Archipelagic Interconnectivity in Sustainable Development” at the Grand Ballroom of the DoubleTree Hotel, Tangerang, Banten, Tuesday, 9 July 2024.
This conference was conducted by various guest speakers with the concern of Indonesia’s maritime and the urge for a collective effort to preserve such a significant aspect of the country.
The Dean of FMIPA UI, Prof. Dede Djuhana, M.Si., Ph.D., gave the opening remarks by extending his gratitude to all contributing stakeholders of Nusantara Ocean Week. Prof. Dede Djuhana also declared Nusantara Ocean Week as one of the catalysts in shifting the paradigm towards Indonesia as the global maritime axis.
Afterward, the Deputy for Coordination for Maritime Resources of Kemenkomarves, M. Firman Hidayat, S.E., M.A., started off the conference with the title “Realizing the Vision of Indonesia Emas 2045: the Sovereign, Developed, and Sustainable Archipelagic Nation”. As it stands, only 19% of Indonesia’s oceans have been mapped out, leaving a huge portion undiscovered. Within this topic, M. Firman Hidayat pointed out that as a developing nation, Indonesia often lacked the financial and technological resources to maximize exploration and thus needed to collaborate with international partners. Therefore, to realize a sovereign, advanced, and sustainable archipelago, there is an immediate necessity to actively pursue the vision of Indonesia Emas 2045, with a particular emphasis on the sustainable industrialization of maritime assets, such as the Nusantara Ocean Week 2024 event forum.
The conference was followed by remarks from the Deputy Minister for Maritime and Natural Resources of Bappenas RI, Dr. Vivi Yulaswati, M.Sc., with the topic “Sustainable Development of Archipelagic Country Leading to Indonesia Emas 2045”. Dr. Vivi stated that Indonesia has a prosperous sociocultural, historical relationship with the oceans within its territory. This relationship must be continued and evolved to build a strong maritime presence not only nationally but also globally. To achieve the goals, Dr. Vivi introduced a program focusing on nationwide development with a specific-to-the-region target to better accommodate local needs. Dr. Vivi also mentioned the increase in the blue economy implementation, which refers to the sustainable utilization of marine resources for economic improvement, community livelihood improvement, and marine ecosystem health. Therefore, it is estimated that the probability of a substantial leap within Indonesia’s economy, socio-cultural, and technological innovation in the maritime sector for the next 20 years is plausible.
At the same time as the conference, the “Laut, Langit, Lahan” exhibition held from 9 to 14 July 2024 at the Bintaro Jaya Xchange Mall 2 Atrium, showcased IGCN’s various initiatives and programs to support sustainable development, especially maritime issues. The “Laut, Langit, Lahan” exhibition also raised awareness of maritime culture in Indonesia by connecting the sea, sky, and land as one natural entity. The event featured ethnographic exhibitions of the Byak tribe, innovations from various Penta helix, actors, and maritime-related talk shows.
The next day, IGCN had an extraordinary opportunity to visit this state-of-the-art ship OceanExplorer (OceanX). This world’s most advanced research and exploration ship from OceanX has a variety of equipment, including deep-sea vehicles that can reach ocean depths of 6,000 meters. IGCN received many insights regarding the function of the OceanX ship, which is used for marine research expeditions worldwide and ocean mapping by the ship’s crew led by Captain Peter. The ship’s crew not only consists of men, but women dominate 50% of the crew.
With the end of Nusantara Ocean Week 2024, IGCN remains committed to driving sustainable maritime development. By fostering stakeholder collaboration, IGCN continues to work towards a prosperous and sustainable future for Indonesia through cross-field and cross-regional networks related to maritime affairs, ranging from nature conservation to technology development.
