RI To Hold 2Nd Congress Of Indonesian Diaspora In August

Jakarta, Jan 31 (ANTARA) - The Foreign Affairs Ministry will hold the 2nd Congress of Indonesian Diaspora (CID) in Jakarta from August 18-20, following the success of the 1st Congress in Los Angeles in July last year. "We expect Indonesian diaspora from all over the world to come. They are a precious asset," the Foreign Affair Ministry�s director general for information and public diplomacy, A.M Fachir, said at a media gathering here on Thursday. The 2nd Congress will discuss various issues relating to politics, trade, investment, culture, tourism, education, youth and sports. Last year, some 2,000 Indonesians and people of Indonesian descent living abroad thronged the Los Angeles Convention Centre from July 6 -8 to attend the first-ever CID, organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, DC. The 2012 CID concluded with the Declaration of Indonesian Diaspora. The declaration involved an 18-point commitment, with emphasis on making the conference a platform to promote Indonesian culture, creativity and unity for national prosperity. The congress also made recommendations to the Indonesian government to set up the Indonesian Diaspora Network (IDN), which would serve as an independent and autonomous body that would develop grassroots community organizations within the diaspora network. Also included in the recommendations was the establishment of foundations that would implement a number of programs such as "Computers for Schools", "Foster Family One-on-One", "Indonesia Diaspora Brain Bank" and "Quarter a Day Social Fundraising Movement". Following the success of the first CID, Indonesian Ambassador to United States of America Dino Patti Djalal launched in July 2012 a book containing a collection of inspirational stories from the Indonesian diaspora in the US. The book, titled "Life Stories: Resep Sukses dan Etos Hidup Diaspora Indonesia di Negeri Orang" depicts values and work ethos of Indonesians living abroad. "Diasporas are a remarkable intellectual asset. However, they are scattered and do not know each other due to the lack of connectivity. They will be a major force if there is strong connectivity between them," Dino Patti Djalal said.