Ministry of Foreign Affairs [Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016]
The 2nd Japan-Indonesia Joint Committee Meeting on Science & Technology Cooperation
1. The 2nd Japan-Indonesia Joint Committee Meeting on Science & Technology Cooperation was held on 13 September 2016 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Takeshi Nakane, Ambassador for Science and Technology Cooperation from the Japanese side, and Prof. Ainun Na'im, Secretary-General for the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education from the Indonesian side.
2. The meeting was attended by officials from relevant ministries and organizations of both countries including Japan's Cabinet Office (CAO); Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Indonesia's Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (RISTEKDIKTI), Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), among others. The meeting overviewed current policies in science, technology and innovation as well as cooperation already implemented in various fields including environment and energy, disaster prevention and mitigation, health, space, marine science, and agriculture and food. Attendees also exchanged information and views on the progress of specific research cooperation activities as well as future directions for the promotion of research grants and research exchanges.
3. Both chairs welcomed this second meeting after 34 years' interval after the entry into force in 1981 of the Japan-Indonesia Science & Technology Cooperation Agreement (see Note). Both chairs hoped to further promote science and technology cooperation between both countries, strengthen the bilateral relations and respond to global issues through subsequent meetings.
Note: The 1st Joint Committee Meeting was held in Jakarta in 1982. This second meeting was organised after 34 years' interval in light of the development of Japan and Indonesia cooperation in science and technology in recent years, and aims to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs [Friday, Sep 16, 2016]
Emergency Grant Aid for improvement of humanitarian situation in Syria
1. On September16, the Government of Japan decided to extend Emergency Grant Aid of four million seven hundred thousand US dollars through three organizations, including United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to help alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Syria.
2. This emergency grant aid which provides support for urgent needs such as water, basic hygiene, education and health, is mainly intended for the major north western city of Aleppo, where humanitarian access has been limited because of heavy fighting. The grant aid also provides support for education and vocational training for Syrian refugees and to their host communities in Jordan, where so many of them have been accepted.