The Australia-Indonesia Centre and Provincial Government of South Sulawesi sign MoU to strengthen cooperation

The Australia-Indonesia Centre (AIC) is pleased to announce a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Provincial Government of South Sulawesi.

The MoU was signed on Thursday 3 December by the Chair of the AIC, Mr Harold Mitchell AC, and the Governor of South Sulawesi, Professor Nurdin Abdullah. The signing took place on the last day of the PAIR Annual Summit, at an opening ceremony celebrating the upgrading of the partnership between the AIC and the Province of South Sulawesi.

It was witnessed by Consul General for Australia in Makassar, Bronwyn Robbins. The Australian Government supports the PAIR program to foster bilateral evidence-based research and relationship building.

The MoU takes the partnership to a new level, strengthening cooperation and advancing the relationship between the AIC and the Province of South Sulawesi on a range of fields in research and regional development programs. These include education, health, infrastructure, tourism, the environment, agriculture, livestock and animal health, and mining. The two parties also commit to exploring joint opportunities for evidence-based research to support the priorities of the province.

The MoU will establish a Joint Working Group, with representatives from the AIC, the South Sulawesi Provincial Government and relevant government institutions. The Joint Working Group will plan, prepare and recommend programs, and evaluate the progress of cooperation.

“We are pleased to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with such an important region, a gateway to Eastern Indonesia,” says Mr Mitchell. “With this MoU, we look to strengthen our current collaboration in PAIR and explore opportunities to work together with you and your government to deliver impact to communities through practical and impactful research.”

The Governor added, “Research is an important foundation of government policy making. The partnership between the AIC and South Sulawesi across fields like education, health, including regional development, will form a strong cooperation that will benefit all parties in the Australia and South Sulawesi relationship.”

This MoU builds upon the relationship between the AIC and the Province of South Sulawesi, which was established in 2018 when a letter of intent was signed by the two parties. This letter formalised the intention to collaborate on key issues affecting the region. It also laid the foundation for the AIC’s research program – the Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR) – to begin its activities in the province.

The AIC looks forward to a long and productive partnership with the Province of South Sulawesi.

Australian Media enquiries

Marlene Millott
PAIR Program Officer
+61 427 516 851
pair@australiaindonesiacentre.org

Indonesian Media enquiries

Fadhilah Trya Wulandari
PAIR Program Officer
+62 8124 3637 755
pair@australiaindonesiacentre.org

About PAIR

PAIR is the flagship program for the AIC’s new research model, supported by the Australian Government, the Indonesian Government, the South Sulawesi Provincial Government and the AIC’s eleven university partners.

Focused on South Sulawesi, PAIR explores the western coastal region of the province where a new 145-kilometre railway line is being built, connecting two major cities and three regencies: Makassar, Maros, Pangkajene, Barru and Parepare.  It will explore four key areas: seaweed as a major commodity; transport, logistics and supply chain; young people health and wellbeing; and young people skills and development.

About The Australia-Indonesia Centre

Through its In Conversation webinars, the Australia-Indonesia Centre has dissected the impacts of COVID-19 from perspectives including public health, economics, governance, international trade and international education. PAIR research will add to these efforts as we continue to seek ways to work together towards recovery and continued development.

The AIC is a consortium of 11 leading research universities in both countries. Its mission is to advance people-to-people links in science, technology, education, innovation and culture.