Jakarta - The Secretary General of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Gellwynn Jusuf, said improving the standard of living of poor people in the outer islands of Indonesia is one of the three challenges that the government faces. "We face three challenges with regard to the development of outer islands of Indonesia. Once we develop small and outer islands of Indonesia, there will be economic growth in the country," said Gellwynn during a discussion entitled, "The Utilisation of Small Islands by the Ministry", on Thursday. According to him, the standard of living of poor people in the outer islands of Indonesia should improve. In addition, basic infrastructure, including sanitation, healthcare, educational, and transportation facilities, should be developed. The second challenge that the government faces is reducing the impact of climate change on the people living on the outer islands of Indonesia. "The last challenge that the government faces is with regard to enhancing the security of the outer islands of Indonesia," said Gelwynn. He added that efforts should be undertaken to develop these islands by constructing facilities such as sailing signs and a lighthouse. The Ministry will implement several programmes to tackle the aforementioned challenges. "The government cannot implement the programmes on its own. We will work closely with private firms and colleges to manage outer and small islands through the Island Adoption programme," he said. The Director General of Marine, Coastal and Small Islands at the Ministry, Sudirman Saad, had introduced the Island Adoption programme to overcome the slow development of remote islands. The Ministry had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with several private companies, including Conoco Philips Indonesia, Premier Oil Natuna Sea, and PT International Nickel Indonesia, to develop the islands. (*)

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