This cooperation can facilitate knowledge exchange between Indonesia and other Colombo Plan member countries in transforming public libraries into inclusive spaces.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Social Inclusion-Based Library Transformation Program (TPBIS) has been expanded and made part of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) under the Colombo Plan.

"This cooperation can facilitate knowledge exchange between Indonesia and other Colombo Plan member countries in transforming public libraries into inclusive spaces," director general of multilateral cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, Tri Tharyat, informed here on Monday.

At a knowledge-sharing event on TPBIS, Tharyat said that Indonesia has the opportunity to strengthen it as a national priority program that can benefit fellow Colombo Plan member countries.

Public libraries can transform from just being places for reading books to places that empower surrounding communities, he added.

According to the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Indonesia to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Maldives, Dewi Gustina Tobing, Indonesia will share its good experiences and knowledge on TPBIS with Colombo Plan member countries.

The program can strengthen relations among Colombo Plan countries and produce innovative ways to solve common problems, she said.

"Indonesia upholds the importance of SSTC because it is in line with the national Constitution, which mandates Indonesia to maintain a world order based on independence, prolonged peace, and social justice," Tobing added.

Indonesia is also seeking to play a central role in the 2030 sustainable development agenda, she added.

Meanwhile, the head of foreign technical cooperation at the Ministry of State Secretariat, Noviyanti, emphasized that Indonesia, through its National Medium-Term Development Plan for 2020–2024, has continued to remain committed to realizing the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The TPBIS program is a part of strategic efforts to realize SDGs.

"The goal is to increase the role of libraries in improving the quality of life of their users. This initiative has succeeded in transforming public libraries into communal spaces that provide benefits for the community," Noviyanti said.

Head of the National Library (Perpusnas), Muhammad Syarif Bando, said that currently the National Library is committed to taking libraries to the next level with a focus on social inclusion.

This program has also proven effective in overcoming various social problems, such as open unemployment.

Libraries must be a “rainbow” of knowledge for millions of people in rural areas, Syarif Bando said.

To provide access to knowledge, the National Library has launched the BintangPusnas Edu digital application, which contains more than 60 million books and manuscripts, especially for learning from elementary school to university.

The knowledge sharing program about TPBIS presented 18 participants consisting of eight people from six Colombo Plan member countries (Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Myanmar) and 10 other people consisting of representatives from provinces, districts, and cities in Indonesia.


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Translator: Indriani, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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