Madrid, Spain, ABIM (30/6/2023)  – The Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono held a bilateral meeting with the Deputy Parliamentary Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) Japan Furukawa Yasushi on Tuesday (6/27) as part of the series of events at the 21st Meeting of The High-level Experts and Leaders Panel (HELP) on Water and Disasters in Madrid, Spain.

Minister Basuki stated that Indonesia and Japan have been collaborating together for 65 years, starting from 1958. Beginning with technical aid for volcanic hazard management using sabo dam technology, technical assistance in other areas such as water resource management, flood disaster risk reduction, coastal conservation, sanitation, and toll road construction followed.

His Majesty, the Japanese Emperor Naruhito, recently visited Indonesia and returned with very nice and useful outcomes for developing collaboration between the two countries.

“This technical cooperation shows how strong Indonesia-Japan relations are. We are committed to continuing this relationship in the future, one of which is in holding the 10th World Water Forum in Bali on 18-24 May 2024, because we know that Japan has successfully held the 3rd World Water Forum in 2003 in Kyoto,” Minister Basuki said.

Minister Basuki said that the Government of Indonesia appreciates the Government of Japan for bringing up the idea of Global South Cooperation which aims to address various issues related to water, such as disasters, the water-food-energy nexus cycle, and water quality. In line with this idea, the Government of Indonesia proposed 2 very important agendas namely the Bandung Spirit Summit Session and World Lake Day which would be proposed to be included in the UN Resolution.

For the time being, the regional process of the 10th World Water Forum is divided into three regions: Asia Pacific, Mediterranean, and Americas. While other regions, such as Africa, are still being under consideration.

Minister Basuki also requested the Japanese government’s support in encouraging Japanese businesses, organizations, and experts to participate fully in Side events, exhibitions, and cultural activities during the upcoming 10th World Water Forum in 2024.(ABIM)