IndonesiaLineNews-Bandung – The provinces of DKI Jakarta and West Java were chosen to host the G20 Indonesia Presidency International forum series in 2022. Jakarta will host the 2022 Urban 20 (U20) Mayors Summit, which will be attended by world city leaders to discuss solutions and efforts to restore cities after the pandemic. Welcoming the international event, Urban 20 Talks were held with the theme Cities, Villages and Youth in the Digital Age which were held at the Pullman Hotel Bandung and broadcasted online on Youtube on Thursday night (24/2).
The Governor of DKI Jakarta Province, Anies Baswedan, who was present as a speaker at the event, said that the momentum of the Urban 20 Mayors Summit and the G20 Presidency was very important because world cities are in charge of implementing the programs launched by the Central Government. Therefore, the narratives from the city level can be input for further discussion at the G20 forum in the future.
“The role of the city government is very important because it is a key actor in implementing the programs launched by the central government. This is because the city government fully understands the field conditions in its area, so it is able to find the best way to implement the planned development actions or programs,” explained Governor Anies.
Governor Anies also shared his views regarding the contribution of young people in the digital era. That young people, especially those living in urban areas, need to be given more space so they can explore with digital technology to develop ideas and come up with breakthroughs.
“One example is that we have a Jakarta Smart City, which mostly consists of young people, the results can be seen from one of the JAKI applications which won a gold medal at the 2021 ASEAN ICT Awards for the Public Sector category in January 2022,” he explained.
In addition, a stimulus to increase the involvement of young people is also carried out by creating a third space. The space is used for interaction, which is then supported by technology to make them more creative and productive. So this also underlies the DKI Provincial Government to continue to expand the free internet service network for all, through JakWifi.
In line with this, the Governor of West Java Province, Ridwan Kamil, who was also a speaker for U20 Talks, explained that digitalization in addition to the city also needs to be encouraged from the village. Therefore, access to technology has become a support for the Digital Village Program. So it is expected that the economic potential in rural areas can be maximized.
According to Ridwan Kamil, technology accessibility in all villages in West Java has supported the achievement of the Digital Village ecosystem. “35 million people in West Java already have internet access and 80% already use mobile phones. So mobile phones are no longer a means of communication, but have become a means of production,” he said.
Through the use of digital technology and the role of young people, it is hoped that in the future it can be part of efforts to accelerate the post-pandemic economic recovery that is evenly distributed, both at the macro and micro economic level.
Also present as speakers at the U20 talk forum in Bandung were the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs as Chair of the Indonesian G20 Sherpa, Airlangga Hartarto; Lead Co-Chairs T20, Bambang PS Brodjonegoro; and Chairperson of the 2021 Y20 Italy Delegation, Puteri Komarudin.
By Journalist Edwin Asmara
