The 2023 High Level Meeting of AIS Forum Calls for Stronger Solidarity to Address Maritime Problems

PRESS RELEASE

COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA TEAM OF THE 2023 HLM OF THE AIS FORUM

No.14/SP/TKM-AISFORUM2023/10/2023

Jakarta, October 2, 2023 - The High Level Meeting of the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum which will take place on 10-11 October 2023 in Bali will call for archipelagic and island countries to strengthen solidarity in overcoming common problems in the maritime sector.

The forum was initiated as a platform to discuss and address common problems faced by archipelagic and island countries. This was conveyed by the Head of the AIS Forum Secretariat, Riny Modaso in Jakarta, Tuesday (3/10/2023).

“Archipelagic and island countries generally face the same problems when it comes to marine-related issues. One of the examples is climate change, which causes sea levels to rise. The first one(s) to face this problem would of course be archipelagic and island countries. This is where AIS Forum sees that there must be a collective effort to overcome this issue," said Riny Modaso, Head of the AIS Forum Secretariat.

To overcome common problems, collaboration and joint effort are very much needed. Noting this, AIS Forum has made Solidarity one of the key themes at the HLM. The other two key topics are the Blue Economy and Our Ocean, Our Future.

These three topics of discussion are interlinked with the four key areas of the AIS Forum's work thus far, namely climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster management, the blue economy, marine plastic debris, and good maritime governance.

Along the way, archipelagic and island countries have collaborated and worked together through programmes carried out by the AIS Forum Secretariat. In various working areas, the AIS Forum continues its effort to endorse solidarity among the countries.

These are manifested in various collaboration programmes, such as the Joint-Research program in the field of research and development. Also in the blue economy sector are the acceleration and empowerment programmes for MSMEs and Start-ups in various archipelagic and island countries. International collaboration through a series of senior official and ministerial level meetings has also been carried out several times as a manifestation of the commitment of the participating countries of this Forum.

Since its establishment in 2018 through the Manado Joint-Declaration, the AIS Forum has consistently acted as a medium for the participating to mutually strengthen active cooperation and collaboration regardless of the size, socio-economic conditions, and levels of development.

The AIS Forum High Level Meeting in Bali is the first of its kind and will be a right momentum to reemphasise the importance of collaboration and collective solidarity, reaffirmed at the level of heads of state/government. To this date, more than 25 AIS countries have confirmed their attendance at the 2023 AIS Forum High Level Meeting. (*)

Contact person:

Thomas Benmetan, Head of Marketing & Communication, AIS Forum Secretariat (thomas.benmetan@undp.org)