Since its establishment in 2018 through the Manado Joint Declaration at a ministerial meeting attended by 21 countries, the AIS Forum has emerged as an international partnership for developing innovative solutions for challenges faced by AIS nations. Its membership has increased to 51 nations.
Indonesia will host the 1st High-Level Meeting of the AIS Forum in Nusa Dua, Bali, on October 10 and 11, 2023.
With the theme of "Fostering Collaboration, Enabling Innovation for Our Ocean and Our Future," the meeting is expected to strengthen the forum's role in producing innovative and smart solutions.
The AIS Forum is also expected to be a platform that pushes for global maritime governance.
The upcoming meeting, which will be opened by President Joko Widodo, is expected to be attended by 25 heads of state, more than 30 ministerial-level officials, nine international organizations, and six international non-governmental organizations.
Its goal is to produce a joint declaration by AIS leaders that will aim to establish the forum as a treaty- or charter-based international organization, and one that can produce concrete cooperation programs.
Together with several parties, the AIS Forum has developed several smart and innovative solutions to address four main issues: climate change, the blue economy, handling plastic waste in the oceans, and good maritime governance.
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According to a statement released by the AIS Forum's media team, these innovative solutions have been developed based on reliable data, modern technology, and creative financing mechanisms.
"Our initiative turns big challenges into opportunities for innovation and creative thinking. For instance, the Seagrass Carbon Converter (SCC), which is a web-based application for calculating carbon stocks and absorption in seagrass beds," the team added in its statement.
Translator: Yashinta P, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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