The 10th World Water Forum Summit in Bali spurred the establishment of a Center of Excellence (CoE) focused on Water and Climate Resilience in the Asia Pacific region. Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), highlighted that this CoE serves as a cooperative platform for nations in the southern hemisphere frequently affected by water-related disasters.
“Collaboration and partnership are the most important in CoE. This involves various stakeholders from public and private sectors as well as academics", said Dwikorita in Nusa Dua Bali. Partnerships are crucial for leveraging diverse resources, expertise, and technologies to effectively address water and climate-related issues at CoE.
Dwikorita emphasized that Indonesia, as an archipelagic nation, has been at the forefront of grappling with environmental and climate challenges over the past three decades. Nevertheless, Indonesia is committed to pioneering advancements in both technological and research endeavors.
Dwikorita also mentioned that each country has its own Center of Excellence (CoE), such as Indonesia with its training-focused Weather and Climate CoE, which has received support from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). "For more than 13 years, there has been a Sabo Center, where Sabo technology is introduced to young experts in Asia Pacific and Africa", she said. For information, "sabo" is derived from the Japanese words "sa," which means sand, and "bo," which means control. Sabo technology is used to anticipate debris and control sediment in a natural landscape, especially in mountain rivers.
Previously, Expert Staff to the Minister of Public Works and Housing (PUPR) for Technology, Industry and the Environment, Endra S. Atmawidjaja, said that CoE is the answer to the climate challenges the world is currently facing. Indonesia would target strengthening South-South cooperation (SSC) by establishing a CoE. Through CoE, said Endra, Southern countries with problems related to flooding, and other water management problems will educate each other, exchange ideas, and share experiences to find the best possible solutions.