The Government Provides Visa-Free Services For Foreign Journalists and Delegates to the 2022 G20 Indonesia Summit

The Indonesian government provides visa-free visit services to all delegates to the G20 Summit and foreign journalists who cover these activities in Bali.

Based on data as of November 14, 2022 at 20.30 WITA, the total number of accredited journalists is 2346 people. Consists of 527 national journalists and 1,819 international journalists. While the total number of media is 450, consisting of 105 national media and 345 international media.

The Presidential Chief of Staff invited the press release to collaborate by presenting information to the public for the success of Indonesia's G20 Presidency which will take place in 2022.

The ongoing G20 presidency throughout 2022, the ministries and agencies involved in organizing the G20 have issued many kinds of press releases, both activities in working groups (WG) and engagement groups (EG).

This was stated in the decision letter Number: IMI-GR.01.01.0738 issued on October 20, 2022 and signed by the Acting Director General of Immigration, Ministry of Law and Human Rights.

The Directorate General of Immigration issued a visa-free policy for G20 delegates and foreign journalists covering G20 Summit events. The decree was addressed to the Head of the Class 1 Immigration Office for TPI Soekarno-Hatta and the Head of the Class 1 Immigration Office for TPI Ngurah Rai, Bali.

In point 2 letter A of the decision letter it is stated that delegates and foreign journalists of the 2022 G20 Indonesia Presidency are exempt from the obligation to have visas as stipulated in Article 23 of the Minister of Law and Human Rights Number 44 of 2015 concerning Procedures for Checking Entry and Exit of Indonesian Territory at Immigration Checkpoints for Foreigners.

With demands at the TPI Soekarno-Hatta Special Class I Immigration Office and the Class I Immigration Office for Special Immigration Checkpoints (TPI) Ngurah Rai provides easy, fast, convenient, proper and accountable immigration services and inspections to all G20 delegates and foreign journalists.

The media, especially journalists globally, have an important role in the context of the G20. What journalists publish in the media will bring an issue. Issues that will be discussed in discussions in the community and can help the public understand what the G20 is doing.

With that foreign delegates and journalists for the G20 Summit must meet a number of conditions, namely:

• Have a national passport which includes: Diplomatic Passport, Service Passport or, Ordinary Passport/General Passport. Valid national passport and valid for at least 6 months.
• Return ticket or onward ticket to continue to another country.
• Proof of registration/registration or invitation letter as a foreign delegate or journalist covering the 2022 G20 Summit in Indonesia.
• In addition, foreign delegates and journalists have arrived in Indonesian territory via TPI Soekarno-Hatta or TPI Ngurah Rai on 1-18 November 2022.

This policy is a form of commitment and responsibility of the Directorate General of Immigration in the success of the 2022 G20 Summit.

To help expedite the arrival of foreign delegations and journalists in anticipation of a surge in foreigners. The Secretary General of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights prepared several steps.

The first is an increase in service when entering and leaving foreigners at the airport. Then, to prevent buildup and congestion, several additional counters will be prepared.

Second, we prepare the number of human resources for immigration officers. Organically, immigration in Bali totaled 32 people. In preparation for the G20 Summit in Bali, the number has increased to 64 people. Supporting devices, such as computers and others, will be added to 64 unit packages.

The Directorate General of Immigration also offers second home visas. Through this facility, every foreign citizen (WNA) or former Indonesian citizen (WNI) can live between 5-10 years in the entire territory of the Republic of Indonesia. During that time, they can carry out various activities, such as investing and others.

However, there are 4 required documents in order to get this facility. One of them, namely Proof of Fund. In the form of an account owned by a foreigner or a guarantor with a value of at least IDR 2 billion or equivalent. Second, a valid national passport that is still valid for at least 36 months. Third, a recent color photograph measuring 4 cm x 6 cm with a white background. Finally, the applicant must attach a curriculum vitae.

Application for a second home visa can be done easily through a website-based application at visa-online.imigration.go.id. This policy is stated in Circular Letter number IMI-0740.GR.01.01 of 2022 concerning Granting of Visas and Limited Stay Permits for Second Homes.

This policy is for the lead up to the G20 Summit which aims to attract foreign tourists to come to Bali and various other destinations. The rate of non-tax state revenue (PNBP) for a second home visa is IDR 3 million. This refers to the provisions in Regulation of the Minister of Finance (PMK) number 2 of 2022. Meanwhile, payment of PNBP rates for second home visas can be made outside the territory of Indonesia through the available PNBP payment portals.

This immigration policy is one of the non-fiscal incentives that can be a stimulus for certain foreigners. It is hoped that the foreign nationals will be able to stay and contribute positively to the Indonesian economy at a time when global economic conditions are increasingly dynamic.

The Media Center has workspace facilities with 96 PC workstations plus 96 LAN networks with a 1.5 Gbps connection. Then there are meeting rooms with a capacity of 48 people that can be used.

The provision of this facility is so that media crews get accurate information, bearing in mind that not all journalists can reach the Apurva Kempinski location where the meeting of the leaders of the G20 members is taking place.

The media center has actively provided facilities in the form of an internet network, meeting schedules, official releases, photos and videos which can be used free of charge. In addition, for television media that requires an outdoor area, you can use every corner or empty space around the media center.

The strategic policies and facilities provided by Immigration are a concrete manifestation of Immigration's commitment to assisting the recovery of Indonesian tourism, increasing business visits and investment for the sake of national economic recovery.

Immigration inspection mechanisms for delegations, including those at the level of heads of state/heads of government are carried out at the VVIP building, at the Ministerial level (VIP) at the VIP building and for other delegations and journalists at the international arrival terminal.

To expedite the arrival of delegations without ignoring the large number of regular passengers, Ngurah Rai Immigration has separated the arrival paths between the G20 delegates/journalists and regular passengers.

The G20 was formed in 1999 at the initiation of G7 members, the G20 embraces developed and developing countries to jointly overcome crises, especially those that hit Asia, Russia and Latin America. The goal of the G20 is to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive global growth. The G20 was born out of the disappointment of the international community towards the G7 countries (England, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Italy and the United States) which were considered to have failed in finding a solution to the global financial crisis in 1998-1999.

The G20 was originally a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. However, since 2008, the G20 has presented Heads of State at Summits and in 2010 discussions on the development sector were also formed. Since then the G20 has consisted of a Finance Track and a Sherpa Track. Indonesia as a country with a strategic position in the last 20 years until before the pandemic, Indonesia's economic growth has always been above the average global economic growth. This is what made Indonesia enter the G20 group and even become the G20 Presidency. The G20 presidency is an opportunity for Indonesia to show Indonesia's leadership in the global arena.

There are two important things to note from discussing Sherpas. The first is that all Sherpa representatives are physically present in Indonesia. Then, all Sherpas have a strong commitment in the midst of dynamics and differences to produce a common agreement.

Indonesia's G20 Presidency 2022 from the start will be different from previous G20 meetings.

The most obvious difference is that in all the discussions, the G20 forum as the premier economic and financial forum actually produces documents that produce real benefits, both for the national interest and for solutions to the dynamics of future challenges.

For this reason, from the start the results of the Sherpa meetings and discussions will also produce an annex called concrete deliverables.

The concrete deliverables will later have a name, maybe the technical one is basket 1, basket 2. Basket 1 is a multilateral project, some are bilateral in nature.

The G20 Summit participants came from delegates from 20 countries and 10 other countries as observers plus delegates from world organizations including those affiliated with the United Nations. G20 members consist of South Africa, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Russia, France, China, Turkey and the European Union.

Countries that are in the top 20 world economies, including Indonesia, are so pessimistic about the world situation due to the impacts and challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the election of Indonesia to continue as chairmanship or the G-20 Presidency from Italy to hold the G-20 Summit will provide certainty that all G-20 meetings in Bali ran safely and smoothly in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Therefore the world economic forum which has a strategic position collectively represents around 65% of the world's population, 79% of global trade and 85% of the world economy, especially Indonesia as the Presidency, must immediately start from preparations to the targets to be achieved. Even in the midst of a difficult situation for many countries, this is an opportunity to show that Indonesia has an important voice to be heard by the world.

To get optimal benefits from this chairmanship or Presidency, Indonesia needs to carry out international communications to increase capacity so that it provides more strong legitimacy for the benefits of the G20. Therefore, massive international communication is needed. International communication is one of the solutions to build mutual trust or strengthen belief in an idea between countries.

In the G20 Indonesia Presidency, Indonesia wants to put forward solutions by utilizing digital facilities, energy, to better financial management for all countries in the world so they can grow well together.

The Presidential Chief of Staff hopes that news about Indonesia's G20 Presidency can go hand in hand like the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. By working together with one goal, namely to restore and strengthen global conditions. The pandemic has taught us that together is always better.

President Joko Widodo emphasized that the world's nations are responsible, which means consistently respecting international law and the principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter. Also responsible for creating situations that benefit both parties.

Taking responsibility here also means we have to end the war. If the war doesn't end, it will be difficult for the world to move forward. If the war doesn't end, it will be difficult for us to take responsibility for the future of present and future generations.

Furthermore, President Joko Widodo said, we should not divide the world into parts. And, furthermore, mustn't let the world fall into another cold war.

The President said Indonesia has 17,000 islands, 1,300 ethnic groups, and more than 700 regional languages. Democracy in Indonesia runs from village head elections at the village level to presidential elections. For this reason, the President encouraged the G20 to have the same spirit of dialogue to bridge differences.

As a democratic country, Indonesia is very aware of the importance of dialogue to reconcile differences, and the same spirit must be shown from the G20 Summit.

The G20 presidency must be made into a historic moment because it is the world's trust in Indonesia to hold the chairmanship as well as host the event. Because with the world's trust, of course, we have to prove that Indonesia can successfully hold the G20 Presidency. All work must be part of the engagement to make history memorable. So this is the part that will make Indonesia's successful history in the G20 Presidency.

The 2022 G20 Summit in Indonesia is an opportunity to show Indonesia's leadership on the international stage, especially in global economic recovery. From a regional perspective, this Presidency emphasizes Indonesia's leadership in the field of international diplomacy and the economy in the region, considering that Indonesia is the only country in ASEAN that is a member of the G20.

The economy is the key to the world economy in the future. Because, through the digital economy, it can open opportunities for elements of society to enter the global supply chain in the future.

So with that, it can be seen that in the past two years the digital economy sector contributed as much as 15.5 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). This means that the chances of increasing the use of the digital economy in the following years can increase significantly. "The digital economy is the key to the future of the world economy."

There are three focuses on digital transformation issues that are brought up in every meeting related to digital transformation. Namely, first, equality of digital access as many as 2.9 billion people in the world are not yet connected to the internet.

Among them, 73 percent of the population of less developed countries do not yet have adequate digital infrastructure. Then, as many as 390 million people live in areas without the internet.

Then must immediately do for repairs. The G20 must be able to mobilize investment to build affordable digital infrastructure for all.

Second, is digital literacy which is an obligation for every individual to participate. Thus, the use of digital space can be more dominated by productive activities that generate profits.

That way, the results of the series of G20 meetings can drive cooperation in the context of strengthening digital capacity for many countries in need.

Digital literacy is not just an option but a necessity, digital literacy must reach all.

Third, a safe digital environment. So, the G20 countries must be able to build digital trust. Through good global digital governance by working together in the future.

In order to ensure that digital benefits can be felt equally in all countries, including developing countries. So, internet users in each can feel safe when surfing in the digital space.

The G20 presidency provides many conveniences for Indonesia, especially in attracting foreign investment in strategic sectors.

Continuing the tradition of all G20 meetings, the agreement will set a good precedent for the presidency of the next G20 summit in India which will take place next year.

The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo hopes that at the upcoming G20 event in India, he can continue the mandate agreed upon at the G20 Indonesia. Thus, efforts to encourage global economic recovery can be realized through the implementation of the G20 Bali Leaders Declaration.

So if you look at the troika there are three countries. This year's presidency was assisted by the state before and after. Now the troika is Indonesia, then Italy, and next year India. For next year's troika are Indonesia, India and Brazil. All three are developing countries

Developed countries that are members of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) allocate funds for infrastructure development. The funds in the form of grants and loans amounting to US$600 billion can be used by developing countries and poor countries for the next five years. Infrastructure development needs to empower local communities and economies to have a high sense of ownership.

The allocation of funds is to support the financing of new PGII projects including the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) of US$ 20 billion for Indonesia, the Indonesia Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact of US$ 698 million, the Trilateral Support for Digital Infrastructure through a partnership between Australia and Japan to digital projects, securing critical mineral supply chains in Brazil, developing solar energy in Honduras and investing in healthcare infrastructure for India.

President Joko Widodo as the Indonesian G20 Presidency emphasized that PGII in supporting infrastructure development in developing countries must be based on a collaborative paradigm. Involve more stakeholders including the private sector and generate sustainable development and support the energy transition.

The ability of developing countries and poor countries to build infrastructure in the midst of a global multidimensional crisis is a challenge for fiscal policy. At the head of state meeting in Bali, Indonesia was quite intense in bringing up a number of issues to support economic recovery for developing countries and poor countries. Debt restructuring and infrastructure development for developing countries and poor countries are Indonesia's focus in the 2022 G20 Presidency.

According to European Commission President Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, "PGII not only invests in infrastructure development, we also invest in the local capacity of our partners."

PGII is a collaborative effort of the G7 countries namely the United States, Britain, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada and France, which was formed in June 2021 during the 47th G7 Summit in the United Kingdom.