According to Ariotedjo, the unprecedented national meeting, which is themed "Resilient Youths, Advanced Sports, Advanced Indonesia," is expected to serve as a forum to strengthen national development efforts.
"This Rakornas constitutes the first national coordination meeting that combines two fields under a series of commemorative agendas of the 40th National Sports Day," he said.
The Youth and Sports Ministry has organized the meeting to affirm its commitment to synergizing youth and sports into one unit that supports national development efforts, he added.
He then expressed the hope that the national coordination meeting would result in innovative ideas that can be implemented to develop youth-related services as well as improve the quality of the sports ecosystem at every level.
Ariotedjo noted that by organizing the meeting, the ministry aims to build its institutional capacity, as well as coordinate, synchronize, and harmonize its policies with those of other ministries and agencies, including regional governments and other youth- and sports-related stakeholders.
"I would like to remind all of us to become bureaucrats who are open to progressive ideas produced by our youths. Therefore, let us make the most of this Rakornas," he said.
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (PMK) Muhadjir Effendy conveyed a similar statement and expressed the hope that the Rakornas would devise designs or concepts to improve youth-related services and lead Indonesian athletes to further augment their performance.
"We hope that the central government will be able to extend the implementation of existing programs to regions. A sound level of collaboration between governments at the central and regional levels is of the essence in managing the youth and sports sectors," he said during the meeting's opening ceremony.
Minister Effendy served as acting youth and sports minister before Ariotedjo, who assumed the position on April 3 this year in place of Zainudin Amali.
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Translator: Arnidhya N, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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