The cooperation was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) by the ministry's deputy of maritime affairs and natural resources, Vivi Yulaswati, and chargé d'affaires of the Danish Embassy in Jakarta, Per Brixen, on Tuesday at the "International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste: No Waste Left Behind" event in Jakarta.
"I am very happy to mark this very important milestone for Indonesia and Denmark, not only as proof of the long-term bilateral partnership between the two countries, but also to realize the commitment to achieve global commitments," Yulaswati said.
The MoU covers several agreements, with the first is regarding efforts to develop planning as well as supervise, evaluate, and formulate policies related to the FLW action plan, in line with the circular economy road map and action plan in Indonesia.
The second is on capacity building in terms of resource efficiency and addressing FLW-related issues through policy dialogues, conferences, workshops, meetings, and international visits.
The agreement also includes exploring and supporting investment opportunities for pilot projects.
Yulaswati noted that Indonesia has different dynamics in each region. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on agricultural and applied technology solutions to reduce FLW in Indonesia using a multi-party approach, she said.
Lastly, the cooperation agreement covers the exchange of knowledge regarding policies and regulations, governance models, and good practices on the efficiency of resources and FLW.
"I believe that this will propel our partnership to greater heights as we move towards a circular and environmentally friendly economy," she said.
Meanwhile, Brixen said that efforts to handle FLW through cooperation are based on three main actions formulated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
They are stronger consumer education and policies, better cold chain management, and more robust FLW data systems.
Brixen expressed pleasure that the MoU has created a framework for the two parties to jointly contribute to actions in those areas.
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Translator: M Baqir, Raka Adji
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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