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| August 2020 |
| Embassy Newsletter |
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| Welcome remarks by Ambassador Kurt Kunz |
| Ambassador Kurt Kunz ©Swiss Embassy |
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Dear fellow Swiss citizens
Dear readers
Liebe Mitbürgerinnen und Mitbürger
Liebe Leserinnen und Leser
Chers concitoyens
Chers lecteurs
Cari concittadini
Cari lettori
COVID-19 continues to be a serious concern in Switzerland and in Indonesia. This year, in Indonesia, we decided to hold a virtual celebration of the Swiss national day. The website "Mission August 1st" allowed everybody to join in the festivities and to share their experiences and impressions related to this memorable day.
Switzerland has been a partner of Indonesia in the wake of major natural disasters, such as 2004 in Aceh and 2018 in Palu. I was very pleased to sign in July the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Disaster Management which prepares the ground for constant concrete cooperation activities.
In this edition of the newsletter we also inform you on our virtual launching of relevant initiatives concerning drug policy and the management of public resources.
As often during summer, several of my colleagues at the Embassy finished their tours and started new assignments. I am glad to announce their replacements who have already joined us or are about to arrive, among them the new Deputy Head of Mission.
I wish you a good reading of this newsletter!
Best regards,
Kurt Kunz
Ambassador of Switzerland to Indonesia, Timor-Leste and ASEAN |
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| COVID-19: SWITZERLAND'S POLICY AND EFFORTS |
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| Developments in Switzerland and government response |
| Face masks are compulsory on Swiss public transport. Photo Nenad Stojkovic, Creative Commons. |
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The measures put in place by the federal government to tackle the coronavirus were for the most part lifted on 22 June. Immigration to Switzerland remains restricted and events with more than 1000 participants prohibited. In order to keep the number of new infections low, the federal government decided to make it compulsory to wear masks on all forms of public transportation from 6 July. In addition travelers entering Switzerland from certain regions have to go into quarantine. The Federal Office of Public Health and the State Secretariat for Migration provide the latest information on their websites.
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| Swiss citizens and travelers in Indonesia |
| Traveler at an airport ©FDFA |
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The Indonesian immigration service lifted the special regulation of the COVID-19 emergency stay permit on 13 July. This applies in particular to tourists, visitors and holders of social visa and resident permits. Depending on the type of visa, emergency stay permit holders may now request a permit extension or are required to leave Indonesia within 30 days from 13 July.
More details and updates are available on the website of the Directorate General of Immigration. |
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| SWISS-INDONESIAN RELATIONS |
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| MoU on cooperation in disaster management signed |
| Ambassador Kurt Kunz with the Head of the Indonesian National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), Lt. Gen. Doni Monardo ©Swiss Embassy |
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On 21 July, Ambassador Kurt Kunz and the Head of the Indonesian National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), Lt. Gen. Doni Monardo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in disaster management. The MoU provides a framework of cooperative activities, such as sharing of best practices and deployment of emergency response teams and assistance, as was done after the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami. During the meeting, Ambassador Kurt Kunz and Lt. Gen. Doni Monardo talked about how their governments respond to COVID-19 and how protecting the environment will help preventing disasters. |
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| Swiss people will vote on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement |
| Completing a ballot paper ©FDFA |
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On 1 July 2020 the Swiss Federal Chancellery announced that 61’184 citizens had expressed their support for a referendum on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was signed between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states and Indonesia in December 2018. This means there will be a popular vote on the CEPA in Switzerland which is expected to take place in 2021. The government will take this opportunity to explain the CEPA to the Swiss people. |
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| Drug policy: How to align with sustainable development goals? |
Cover of the report supported by Switzerland ©Silas Baisch
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On World Drug Day, 26 June 2020, the NGOs Reprieve and LBH Masyarakat launched a seminal study on Indonesia’s drug policy. The report “Reorienting Drug Policy in Indonesia: Pathways to the Sustainable Development Goals” was supported by Switzerland. It examines whether the current drug policy in Indonesia is conducive to sustainable development and makes recommendations on how to achieve the UN development goals. Ambassador Kurt Kunz spoke at the launch and said “as governments we need to make sure our drugs policies do not cause more harm than the drugs themselves”. |
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| ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT |
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| Switzerland's continued support for Indonesia to collect more tax and spend public resources better |
| Ambassador Kunz exchanging the agreement with the Acting Country Director, World Bank Indonesia, Rolande Pryce ©Swiss Embassy |
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Switzerland has been supporting Indonesia’s Public Financial Management reform for more than a decade through the World Bank’s Public Finance Management Multi-donor Trust Fund. The partnership has resulted in a broader tax base, better data on tax compliance and improved capacity of the Internal Audit Agency. On 24 July, Switzerland agreed to continue the successful collaboration for another five years. The agreement was signed by Ambassador Kurt Kunz and Rolande Pryce, Acting Country Director of the World Bank for Indonesia.
In the third phase, Switzerland will contribute an additional USD 9 million to help Indonesia collect more tax, spend public resources better and assist subnational governments in effectively managing public resources and harnessing digital technologies to improve the efficiency in revenue and expenditure management. |
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| How to spend public money better |
| Indonesian banknotes. Photo by Mohamad Trilaksono from Pixabay. |
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Indonesia’s development trajectory has been remarkable over the past 20 years. According to the World Bank, however, its competitiveness is still impeded due to the large human capital and infrastructure gaps, with the overall level of public spending being low relative to the country’s needs. The report “Spending for Better Results”, was launched virtually on 22 June and aims to help the Government of Indonesia identify key challenges in spending more efficiently and effectively and overcome those challenges. The report is published by the World Bank and funded by Switzerland, Canada, Australia, as well as the European Union.
Offering ways to improve the quality of spending to achieve Indonesia’s development objectives, the report focuses on the institutional environment and spending on human capital and infrastructure.
The report is available in English and Bahasa Indonesia. |
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The first ever digital national day was celebrated with fellow Swiss and lovers of Switzerland around the world on Mission August 1st through typical Swiss activities. We wish to express our appreciation for all of you who joined the festivity in celebrating our national day.
On this occasion, Ambassador Kurt Kunz gave a special greeting as he took us to some spots that reminded him of Switzerland right from the Embassy. |
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| Making traveling in Switzerland even cleaner and safer |
| Clean & Safe labels ©Switzerland Tourism |
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Switzerland already has a reputation for being clean and safe. To strengthen guests' confidence in Switzerland as a holiday destination in light of the pandemic, Switzerland’s tourism industry associations have created “Clean & Safe“ labels. Specific labels are available for a total of six industries: hotels, restaurants, navigation companies, cable cars, public transportation and meeting facilities. When visiting tourism establishments, the labels show guests that the service providers are complying with safety protocols. |
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| VISA AND CONSULAR SERVICES |
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| Visa regulations and appointments |
| Swiss passport. Photo by Claudio Schwarz from Unsplash. |
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Entry at the Schengen external borders is still generally prohibited. The current short-term (C-type) visa suspension remains in force.
National visa, however, can again be issued for certain categories, such as long-term student, family reunification and marriage in Switzerland. Kindly contact our visa section to schedule an appointment if you wish to apply for it.
Consular services continue to be fully operational. However, in order to practice social distancing, we receive visitors by appointment only. Please contact us by e-mail to schedule your appointment.
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Since our last newsletter, the following new Swiss colleagues have joined the Embassy:
• Mr. Philippe Strub, Deputy Head of Mission • Ms. Valérie Miles Fridez, Attachée, Consular Services
• Ms. Andrea Zbinden, Deputy Head, Economic Cooperation and Development (starting 1 September)
We wish them a good start and look forward to working with them. |
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