Room for improvement: Students participate in classroom activities at the SD Negeri Karangbolong 2 elementary school in Cigeulis, Pandeglang regency, Banten, on Nov. 10. The management of the public school said three classrooms had been severely damaged since four years ago, which has disrupted learning. Local authorities have not yet taken the necessary measures to solve the situation.

Understanding national IQs and rejecting the Indonesian mockery

Immediate policy changes in Indonesia should be paired with long-term strategies nurturing cultural shifts that value education and critical thinking.

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Bridging the climate finance gap: COP29’s defining moment

Hashim’s optimistic narrative about green growth must contend with the realities of mobilizing multibillion-dollar investments, while protecting community rights and biodiversity. ...

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Is sustainable packaging enough to eliminate plastic pollution?

Less than 10 percent of plastic waste is currently recycled globally, with the remaining often not managed properly. ...

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Argentina's President Javier Milei (left) and President Prabowo Subianto (right) attend the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 18, 2024.

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G20 Brazil: Lessons for an effective cooperation platform

Tensions between G20 members have shifted the group’s attention from substantive discussions to political diplomacy.

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Filling up: Workers load oil palm fruit bunches onto a truck at a plantation belonging to state-owned PT Perkebunan Nusantara II in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, on Nov. 19, 2024.

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The European Union and Prabowo's Indonesia: What’s changed?

Prabowo has accused the EU of employing double standards, invoking historical exploitation of Indonesian resources by European powers.

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In operation: The Suralaya coal-fired power plant in Cilegon, Banten, releases steam on Oct. 31, 2023.

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Indonesia’s rhetoric of net-zero emissions

In order to push for growth, Indonesia may clear 2.1 million hectares of rainforest over the next five years, roughly the size of 30 Singapore islands, and still claim compliance with its emissions targets.

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Crowds of job seekers throng a job fair on March 7, 2023 in Surabaya, East Java. Data from Statistics Indonesia show that open unemployment in the country was 4.82 percent of the 149.38 million-strong workforce in February 2024, down 0.63 percent compared with the same period last year.

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The labor market dynamics and challenges for labor insurance

With more workers losing their jobs, BPJS’ potential revenue from contributions is threatened, and its capability to protect workers will decline.

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Indonesia has not surrendered sovereign rights in the North Natuna Sea

What Indonesia and China have agreed on is a common understanding on joint development in areas of overlapping claims, which could mean a lot of things.

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A roadside vendor prepares his food products on May 12, 2024, for selling at his stall next to a railway in Jakarta.

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The risks of bringing informal businesses into formal economy

The Prabowo administration's bold plan to tax the underground economy could backfire, exacerbating already existing challenges like corruption and poverty.

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Workers check on packages of battery cells at the Hyundai LG Indonesia (HLI) Green Power plant in Karawang, West Java, following its inauguration on July 3, 2024. The plant is Indonesia's first electric vehicle (EV) battery factory.

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Regenerative manufacturing: Indonesia’s engine for economic growth

Strengthening the local ecosystem, mainly through special economic zones, will be crucial for attracting FDI and establishing a solid manufacturing base.

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Selling illusions?: Hashim Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, special envoy to the President of Indonesia, delivers a statement during the United Nations climate change conference COP29, in Baku on Nov. 12.

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From Gen Z to Hashim at COP29: Our future is not for sale

Indonesia continues building new captive-coal power plants, with capacity tripled in five years, while continuously lowering renewable energy targets.

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Collaboration is strengthening cybersecurity defenses in Indonesia

Emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing will further complicate cybersecurity, heightening the need for vendors and partners to work together.

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Caring for nature: Students of Palangka Raya University participate in a tree planting program in a peatland area in the Central Kalimantan capital of Palangka Raya on April 15, 2023.

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Healing our planet is now restoration, not just conservation

The rate of deforestation in Indonesia remains alarmingly high, with an estimated loss of 450,000 hectares each year over the past two decades

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Crisis meeting: Delegates attend a session on Nov. 19, 2024 during the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

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Philanthropy a catalyst for the funds needed to tackle climate crisis

Philanthropic organizations, through partnerships with civil society organizations, the private sector and government, can play a key role in facilitating the disbursement of climate finance to communities taking climate action.

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Ceremonial breach: Indonesian Navy submarine Cakra-401 resurfaces in Jakarta Bay on Sept. 10, 2024, during an event to mark the 79th anniversary of the Navy.

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Naval ship acquisition in the face of modern warfare

The ability to address and achieve sea denial, sea control, and collaborative combat, should be considered a priority by the Navy.

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Food matters: Farmers harvest corn on July 6, 2023, in Wambes village, Mannem district, Keerom regency, Papua. The village hosted the trial of the national food estate program, which was aimed at ensuring food security in the eastern part of the country.

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Preventing food security agenda from exacerbating climate crisis

Policies that focus solely on food production, without taking a holistic systems approach, will not be sufficient to mitigate the growing threat of hunger caused by climate change.

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Attorney General's Office (AGO) officials set up money seized from the houses of former Supreme Court official Zarof Ricar ahead of a press briefing at AGO headquarters in Jakarta on Oct. 25, 2024.

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The visible and the marginalized: Examining our rule of law

Prabowo now faces a critical choice: to return to the roots of a rechtsstaat, or to continue with a regulatory state model that accommodates the interests of a broad political alliance.

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Protecting young ones: Anti-tobacco activists encourage a shopkeeper in Peta Barat Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on March 17, 2021, to join the “Prevent Child Smokers” campaign by pledging not to sell cigarettes to children.

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Regulatory loopholes in tobacco promotion on social media

Without strict regulations, children and teenagers will continue to be the target of promotions that can encourage them to start smoking.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto shake hands during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Saturday, November 9, 2024.

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Prabowo’s new approach to RI-China relations

The President’s recent move as regards Beijing's claims in the South China Sea through the Indonesia-China JDA shows that he is boldly forging a new pathway toward mutually beneficial bilateral development with the Asian superpower.

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Precious liquid: A woman collects water from a well in Gunung Penawen village, Cilegon, Banten, on Sept. 8, 2024.

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Confronting the climate crisis: Water as a lever for climate action

Just as water is essential to supporting life, the water sector is key to climate efforts.

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Several commuters wear mask upon getting off the train at Karet Station in Central Jakarta on Dec. 6, 2023. The Health Ministry urges people to wear face masks amid the rise of COVID-19 cases and the discovery of mycoplasma pneumonia in the city.

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Chronic respiratory disease deserves global attention

Countries worldwide are increasingly recognizing the burden of COPD and incorporating it into their national health priorities.

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Listening ear: An employee of Lapor Mas Wapres (Report to Brother Vice President) attends to a member of the public on Nov. 11, 2024, the day Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka launched the new complaints center at his offices in Central Jakarta.

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Is VP Gibran’s complaint desk initiative a panacea?

By establishing this new channel, the Vice President risks turning his office, designed to address national concerns, into a bureaucracy focused on local problems.

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Nurturing children: Banyuwangi Regent Ipuk Fiestiandani (right) talks about how to help local children develop during a dialogue with village heads and community figures on May 6, 2024 held at the East Java regency’s culture and tourism agency.

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Achieving national prosperity through behavioral insights and adaptive leadership

The World Bank reports that Indonesia ranks relatively low in legal enforcement, with prolonged judicial processes and weak contract enforcement.

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A Rohingya immigrants try to evacuate their sick colleagues from a boat that experienced an engine failure in the waters of Padang Bakau Village, Labuhan Haji District, South Aceh, Aceh, on Sunday, October 20, 2024. A total of 151 Rohingya immigrants consisting of 59 children, 79 women and 13 adult men were on board the ship that was stranded in the waters of South Aceh, Aceh

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ASEAN Human Rights Declaration: Now and the road ahead

The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, a nonbinding instrument that was adopted in 2012, must be transformed into an actionable framework to meet today’s needs, and one pathway toward this is to empower the AICHR so it can protect human rights across the region.

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United States President Joe Biden (right) meets with President Prabowo Subianto on Nov. 12, 2024, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. The two leaders met to discuss the strengthening of US-Indonesian cooperation.

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Prabowo needs US-model national security council

Prabowo, a former Army general and defense minister prior to becoming President, was using a security rather than diplomatic lens when he agreed to discuss joint development with China in the North Natuna Sea

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Hot favorite: Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin performs during a concert at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta, on Nov. 15, 2023. The Jakarta stop was part of the British band’s Music of the Spheres Tour 2023.

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Concerts, carbon and climate: How Indonesia's music boom might fuel the crisis

Indonesia's thriving music scene presents an opportunity for the country to take a lead in setting sustainability standards for major cultural events, including carbon emissions generated from air travel by both performers and attendees.

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Democracy lesson: Students count voters during a general election training simulation at Karangpandang state senior high school in Karanganyar, Central Java, on Sept. 27, 2023.

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Big societal changes require big state interventions

We are in an era where charisma trumps reason-based discussions and people become hypnotized by social media.

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Generational progress: Students gather to study in this undated handout photo. As students have increasingly begun to pursue entrepreneurship, more universities have created accelerator and incubator programs to support them.

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MIT's blueprint and Indonesia's cultural challenges to achieve the 2045 vision

Indonesia faces cultural barriers like short-term focus, hierarchical reliance and risk aversion that challenge direct model replication.

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Foreign beachgoers carry surfboards on Aug. 3, 2024, while walking along the sandy shores of Kuta Beach, located along the southeastern tip of Bali.

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Bali as a ‘living mystery school’

The spirit of Bali, which intertwines traditional values and customary laws within a universal framework of harmony, will continue to draw visitors long seeking enlightenment in this troubled world.

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