Indonesian Delegation Visits NOAA
Dan Parry
NOAA Office of Communications, OAR
March 4, 2009 — Coastal and marine resources and management, ocean exploration, sustainable fishing practices, and understanding climate change and the ocean were among the topics discussed when the director of NOAA Research met again with his Indonesian counterpart in a series of bilateral meetings last month.
Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries representatives participate in a high-level bilateral discussion at NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. Photo credit: Daniel Parry, NOAA.
Richard W. Spinrad, assistant administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and other NOAA representatives met with Widi Agoes Pratikto, secretary general of Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, in early February.
The series of successful discussions focused on implementation of the bilateral memorandum of understanding on “Marine and Fisheries Science, Technology and Applications Cooperation,” signed by Spinrad and the Secretary General in September 2007. The Indonesian delegation also met with the full range of NOAA offices and programs in an effort to identify opportunities including ways to benefit marine and fisheries science, as well as economic benefits for both parties.
Spinrad and Pratikto close the two-day meeting with an exchange of gifts and gratitude at NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. (Feb. 4, 2009). Photo credit: Daniel Parry, NOAA.
"The MOU has provided a mechanism for a fruitful partnership between our two organizations," said Spinrad. "This meeting continues our commitment towards strengthening capabilities and approaches to address pressing coastal and marine resource issues with our international partners."
The group also agreed to collaborate again before the World Ocean Conference in Manado, Indonesia in May 2009. The conference will bring together high-level officials from more than 100 countries to “develop a common understanding and firm commitment to face up to the impact of climate change on the state of the world's oceans and to increase our understanding of the role of the oceans in determining the rate of global climate change.”