Author: jezzabellemente

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 26, 2022/Antara News Agency-AsiaNet/–

At the 2022 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) event, the Government of Indonesia offered the world the concept of sustainable resilience
as a solution to address the challenges of systemic disaster risk.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo highlighted this concept at the opening ceremony of the 2022 GPDRR in Nusa Dua, here, on Wednesday.

The sustainable resilience concept is considered to be a solution to tackle all forms of disasters, including facing a pandemic and concurrently supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Jokowi remarked.

He highlighted the need to apply several measures to build sustainable resilience.

“First, we should strengthen an anticipatory, responsive, and adaptive disaster preparedness culture as well as institutions in dealing with disasters,” President Jokowi stated.

According to the president, disaster mitigation education and government institutions that are synergistic and responsive to disasters must become a shared priority.

Jokowi explained that the second measure deemed necessary is for every country to invest in science, innovation, and technology, including in ensuring access to finance and technology transfer.

“Access to funding is an important issue that we must take seriously. Indonesia has developed a strategy for funding and disaster insurance by establishing a pooling fund and using development funds at local levels to support disaster mitigation and preparedness,” he stated.

The third measure is by building infrastructure that is resilient to disasters and climate change.

“(This is) in addition to mitigating (the impacts on) physical infrastructure, such as dams, breakwaters, reservoirs, and embankments; green infrastructure, such as mangrove forests, shrimp seedlings on the coast; … as well as the development of open spaces to be part of the realization of infrastructure development,” Jokowi pointed out.

“The protection of vulnerable groups living in high disaster risk areas must also get special attention,” he stressed.

Lastly, the Indonesian president invited all countries to commit to implementing global agreements at the national and local levels.

“The Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the SDGs are important international agreements in the efforts to reduce disaster risk and climate change. I invite all countries to be committed and serious about implementing it,” Jokowi stated.

He affirmed that disaster risk reduction is an effective investment to prevent future losses.

“To that end, we affirm Indonesia’s commitment to implementing the Sendai Framework as well as other international commitments,” he stressed.

The head of state also expressed Indonesia’s readiness to share experiences and knowledge in disaster mitigation.

“As a disaster-prone country, Indonesia has accumulated knowledge and experience that can be an important lesson for the world, but Indonesia is also eager to learn from international experience,” Jokowo emphasized.

“Let’s work together to mitigate (impacts and manage risks with regard to) the rise in disasters for a better life today and tomorrow,” he concluded.

Appreciation
On the occasion, several United Nations (UN) officials — President of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori — lauded Indonesia for being successful in controlling COVID-19, so that the 2022 GPDRR forum could be held in-person in Nusa Dua, Bali.

“I would like to convey the appreciation of the UN to the president of Indonesia and the people for hosting the 2022 GPDRR,” Mohammed stated at the opening ceremony.

“I would like to congratulate and appreciate Indonesia for the measures that have been taken to address COVID (as a) response that had allowed us to meet in this conference here in-person,” she stated.

According to the UN deputy secretary general, Indonesia’s efforts to vaccinate its population of 217 million people is a major achievement.

“We applaud the leader of Indonesia for its vaccine program for keeping everyone safe and reacting and responding to the COVID pandemic,” she stated.

She also affirmed that Indonesia is a critical partner that has taught the world a lot about disaster risk reduction.

“Your willingness to host this important gathering is a testament to the leading role that you (Indonesia) play in sustaining development and climate action,” she remarked.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Director Ricardo Mena lauded Indonesia as a country that is leading in the global efforts for disaster risk reduction.

“This is a very important (effort), and I think this is where we think that Indonesia is leading in terms of the global efforts to reduce disaster risks,” Ricardo Mena stated in a special interview with ANTARA here on Monday (May 23).

Mena remarked that Indonesia has put forth a strong message about the importance of disaster risk reduction efforts by hosting the 2022 GPDRR.

“We believe that Indonesia is giving a very strong message through the engagement and hosting of the GPDRR here in Bali. We are very thankful to the Indonesian Government for that,” he remarked.

The UNDRR director also highlighted Indonesia’s leadership in adopting the long-term disaster risk reduction plan.

“I think what I would like to highlight is that Indonesia is one of the few countries in the world that has adopted a very long term plan to reduce disaster risks,” he remarked.

“This is very important because if you want to really address the root causes, and you cannot do it in two, three, or five years. It is impossible, and we look and welcome very much the fact that Indonesia has a plan to reduce disaster risks that goes even beyond 2040,” he added.

To that end, Mena also encouraged other countries to follow Indonesia’s steps in adopting long-term plans for disaster risk reduction.

Indonesia hosts a series of meetings of the 7th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2022) in Bali on May 23-28, 2022.

Source: Ministry of Communication and Informatics of Republic of Indonesia

Image Attachments Links:

Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=422164

Caption: President Joko Widodo (center), UN deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed (fourth left), vice president of Zambia W.K. Mutale Nalumango (fourth right) take a picture with the head of National Agency for Disaster Management Suharyanto (left), special representative of the secretary-general for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori (second left), coordinating minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Muhadjir Effendy (third left), president of the United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahida (third right), foreign affairs minister Retno Marsudi (second right), Bali governor Wayan Koster (right), and several delegations ahead of the opening ceremony of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2022 in Nusa Dua, Bali, Wednesday (May 25, 2022). The GPDRR is held in Bali, raising the theme of “From Risk to Resilience: Towards Sustainable Development for All in a COVID-19 Transformed World”. ANTARA FOTO/Akbar Nugroho Gumay/foc.

–BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR May 23 (Bernama) — Indulge in a wealth of Thai culture, food and many more features at “THINK THAILAND” Festival. Organized by The Royal Thai Embassy, in collaboration with the Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce (DITP), and Tourism Authority of Thailand, the festival will be the largest, most exceptional and eventful Thai event ever organized in Malaysia, with the aim to support both Thai exporters and Malaysian importers in boosting the sales of Thai products in Malaysia, while marking our readiness to welcome the Malaysians back to Thailand once again.

This 12-day Thai festival will take place at Tropicana Gardens Mall, with in-store promotions at Aeon, Segi Fresh and NSK outlets throughout Kuala Lumpur and Selangor from 26 May till 6 June, 2022. Many authentic, newly launched, and special priced products will be on offer during this time.

According to the Minister Counsellor and Director of DITP, Mr Worawan Wanwil: “More than 30 Thai exporters have taken the time to travel to Malaysia for this festival. They are specially flown in to showcase their Thai products. Apart from that, this event will include Thai SELECT awarded restaurants as well as exceptional massage from Thai Odyssey, and many others.

Online and on-site business matching has been arranged with more than 50 Thai qualified exporters. We now have confirmed 63 matches with an expected trade value of RM30 million within this year.

We have collaborated with Shopee to list more than 300 Thai sellers in their E-commerce platform so Malaysian shoppers can buy directly from Thailand and have their products delivered to their doorsteps.

For the past few years, we have observed an increasing demand in quality Halal Thai products from Malaysian consumers, therefore we have allocated a special section for Thailand International Halal Showcase (TIHAS) at this festival. TIHAS is a mini side-event of THAIFEX 2022 which is happening now in Bangkok from May 24-28. The highlight for TIHAS is that the Malaysian Food importers who visit this showcase will be eligible to be DITP’s special guests to visit THAIFEX 2023.

With these set-up and activities, we are confident to generate more than RM6 million sales during this festival.”

“THINK THAILAND welcomes all of you to experience these special Thai products, goods, and food with many more line-ups when you visit us! Other than the shows mentioned, we have prepared more excitement for everyone every day during the period of the festival. If you still can’t visit Thailand at the moment, it is okay, because we are bringing Thailand to you! Prepare yourselves to have an enjoyable time with us at THINK THAILAND and we look forward to welcoming you with our Thai smiles and warm hearts.”

During this festival, for every RM50 purchase of Thai products at the designated outlets, consumers are eligible to participate in a lucky draw to win very attractive prizes, which include 2 return flight tickets on Air Asia, 2 Hotel accommodation in Thailand, 1 Oppo Mobile phone, 20 Thai SELECT vouchers, 20 Thai Odyssey vouchers, 5 travel luggage, 10 Hampers worth RM300 each and 30 Hampers worth RM100 each.

About DITP

The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) is the Thai Ministry of Commerce’s foremost agency dedicated to the rapid and sustained expansion of international trade for both domestic achievement and global benefit. Over the last 40 years the DITP has facilitated countless multi-million-dollar trade deals, both governmental and private, to the satisfaction of international investors and entrepreneurs worldwide. And as a whole new dimension unfolds with the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, the DITP is ready to guide you in taking advantage of the almost unlimited possibilities presented by a free-trade system in a single market bloc of 600 million consumers. The DITP, with its vast and varied database of manufacturers, exporters and service providers in Thailand and overseas, is ready to respond directly and promptly to all requests from international entrepreneurs for any kind of product or service. Through the DITP, you will be matched with an ideal partner in order to form a business partnership that is both mutually beneficial and progressive.

For more information about the “THINK THAILAND” festival, please visit https://www.facebook.com/thinkthailandmy or contact us at enquiry@thaitrade.my, hello@eqsolutions.my, or contact us at 03-21424601.

#thinkthailand #DITPMalaysia #TropicanaGardensMall #ThaiFestival #RoyalThaiEmbassyKualaLumpur #tourismauthorityofthailand #RTE #DITP #TAT

SOURCE: Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP KL)

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43219​

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) — An online concert, themed ‘Melodies over Seas and Mountains’, was jointly held on May 23, in both Zhuhai Opera House and the Royal Concertgebouw, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and The Netherlands.

As music danced through continents and oceans, Zhuhai and Amsterdam were connected more than ever, celebrating deep friendship, and looking forward to a better future built and shared with each other, according to Information Office of Zhuhai Municipal People’s Government in a statement.

There were 13 performances, including jazz, piano solo, wind music, chorus, and fusion music. The concert featured world-class musicians and artistes from the two countries – Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Sinfonia Rotterdam, Zhuhai Golden Jazz Orchestra, Chinese singer Liu Yutong, Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award winners Ou Kaiming and Qiong Xia, among others.

The evening feast for the ears kicked off with Petals Falling from Sky, a classical Cantonese song. Many original songs composed by Zhuhai musicians were also introduced, unveiling the charm of the special economic zone that is modern, coastal, and international.

Sinfonia Rotterdam performed My Motherland, a well-known patriotic song in China. Zhuhai Golden Jazz Orchestra started in-depth cooperation with Sinfonia Rotterdam to foster young musical talents in China.

Notably, this would be the first attempt by Nederlands Blazers Ensemble – which enjoys a global reputation – to extend their prime art education beyond the border of The Netherlands.

As early as 400 years ago, China and The Netherlands had already started economic, trade, and cultural exchanges through the Maritime Silk Road.

Zhuhai’s increasingly close ties with Utrecht, the fourth-largest city in The Netherlands with a profound historic and cultural heritage, are a demonstration of the ever-growing China-Netherlands friendship.

As a vital bridge for China to connect with the rest of the world, Zhuhai started the friendly exchanges with Utrecht in November 2013. In the following years, the two cities deepened the collaboration including in investment, trade, science and technology, culture, and tourism.

Looking forward, Zhuhai and Utrecht are ready to jointly hit a higher note in their song of friendship. Through cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the connected hearts of people in the two countries will become the living water of our bilateral relations, which will make greater contributions to the development of China-EU and China-Netherlands relations.

— BERNAMA

• As part of its diversification efforts, the Group has been pursuing new business opportunities which are aimed at transforming traditional industries to be more environment-friendly and to improve human life
• The diversification businesses span diverse industries like drug development, skincare, clean energy, and water purification
• Adopts UN Sustainable Development Goals as a framework to guide diversification efforts

SINGAPORE, May 24 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SGX Mainboard-listed CDW Holding Limited (“CDW”, the “Company”, or collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) is pleased to share an update on its diversification efforts and announce a new strategic direction for the Group, centred around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (“UN SDGs”).

CDW’s Diversification Efforts
The Group is a leading manufacturer of LCD Backlight Units for applications in various industries such as computer, automotive, and gaming and has recently also built up a promising OEM business in producing electronic payments systems and digital content editing devices. As the Group operates in a challenging industry with intense price competition and shortening product life cycles, it embarked on a diversification strategy in 2016 to identify other potential areas of growth and made its foray into Bio & life sciences and other businesses.

Bio & Life Sciences
The Group holds a patent for a synthetic antibody library through its subsidiary GSP Enterprise Inc. (“GSP”), which was established by the late Honorary Professor Shimizu Nobuyoshi of Keio University and acquired by the Company in 2018. GSP builds upon the late Professor Shimizu Nobuyoshi’s fundamental research in the medical field through developing specific antibodies to target tumours, viruses or other diseases, with the aim of creating immunotherapies for them. A Biotech Co., Ltd (“ABio”) was established in South Korea at the same time for antibody-related research and development.

The Group had previously announced key milestones in the development of novel antibody drugs aimed at treating various cancers. The most promising candidate thus far, the anti-Cripto-1 antibody, was patented in September 2020 and has been shown to be effective at inhibiting the self-proliferation of cancer stem cells. Recent anti-Cripto-1 antibody research have been led by ABio, which is conducting a pre-clinical efficacy study at the National Cancer Centre of Korea.

“The late Professor Emeritus Nobuyoshi Shimizu of Keio University passed away from cancer in 2015 after founding GSP to commercialize his research. In 2018, we acquired GSP to continue the late Professor Shimizu’s legacy and advance his cancer drug development fundamental research, and help more people suffering from cancer globally. ABio was established at the same time and is currently continuing its research in collaboration with GSP,” said Mr Yoshikawa Makoto, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Group.

Apart from aiming to treat serious illnesses through fundamental research, the Group has also made strides in addressing the growing consumer demand for beauty and wellness. The Group acquired Intellectual Property Rights in 2016 related to the functional use and manufacture of organic compounds including Pterostilbene Glycoside products which have antioxidant, anti-aging and hair growth benefits. In addition, the Group is also looking to licence out its recently acquired patent on the cancer stem cell growth inhibitory effect of pterostilbene and/or its glycosides.

In September 2021, the Group announced the launch of its own skincare brand YOSHIMI JAPAN following five years of research and development into the anti-aging pterostilbene glycoside compound, which was shown to have greater efficacy at addressing the anti-wrinkle segment of topical beauty products. The product is currently available online to consumers in Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. A licensing agreement has also been signed with a Japanese cosmetics manufacturer to use pterostilbene glycoside in various product lines of the cosmetics manufacturer’s customers, with product launches scheduled to begin later in 2022.

Environment-Friendly Products and Technologies
As a contract manufacturer, CDW is keenly aware of the carbon footprint and environmental impact that can be caused by traditional industries. That is why it has been actively pursuing new business opportunities in environmental products and technologies which include clean energy and nanomaterials.

In July 2021, the Group secured the rights to distribute CUBOX portable lithium-ion battery packs for use in industrial, household and medical settings in Japan.

The Group has also obtained the global distributorship rights to Japanese alkaline water generator brand, Nihon Trim Co.,Ltd¹. (“TRIM”). The deal will allow the Group to capture new opportunities as the demand for alkaline water generators grows around the world. According to market research firm Global Information Inc., the global water ionizer market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.22% to reach over US$ 1.6 billion by 2027. The global distributorship will see the Group distribute TRIM’s products in overseas countries, excluding Indonesia and Guangdong province in China. The Group is already exporting and selling its products to some countries and regions.

CDW has also secured the exclusive rights to market in Japan and distribute electric boat propulsion systems that are developed by Electrine² of Korea (formerly known as LGM Co., Limited, with which the Company has a 2.3% stake), a leading Korean electric boat building company, with currently discussions for the rights to Hong Kong and Singapore ongoing. The electric boat propulsion system was the first electric propulsion unit in Japan to qualify for pre-inspection. The advantage of electric ship propulsion unit is that they require no fossil fuels, thus enabling the realisation of decarbonisation. Additionally, the Company will also develop and sell fuel-efficient and environment-friendly ship-bottom paints which use nanomaterial technology. Further research is underway to improve the efficacy of ship-bottom paints samples being tested on marine vessels.

The Group also exhibited its electric boat propulsion systems and ship-bottom paints at the Japan International Boat Show³, Japan’s largest ship-related exhibition, held from 31 March to 3 April 2022. Several potential customers, including large leisure facility operators, were given the opportunity to meet with the Group and negotiations are underway for sales. The Japan International Boat Show is also being held in an online venue from 18 March to 31 August 2022, and still exhibiting.

Adopting the UN SDG Framework
In order to focus its diversification efforts, the Group has decided to adopt a strategic framework that is centred around the UN SDGs, which consists of 17 goals and 169 targets. Adopted at the UN Summit in September 2015, the goals were set by 193 UN member countries to be achieved in 15 years from 2016 to 2030.

In particular, the last few years have seen a renewed focus among institutional investors on environmental, social, and governance, or ESG standards. The scars of the global pandemic, as well as mounting concerns over the impact of environmental degradation from industrial activity around the world have led to a growing demand for sustainability solutions.

“CDW has always been exploring opportunities in the areas of health and environment. This would further enhance our attractiveness to institutional investors, as we continue to strengthen our revenue streams and diversify our competencies beyond LCD backlight units,” remarked Mr Yoshikawa Makoto.

Meeting the growing ESG demand
With investments in ESG trending, and CDW believes that its new strategic direction is the right step forward to meet that growing demand from institutional investors. Bloomberg forecasts that ESG Assets Under Management (“AUM”) could grow to US$53tn by end-2025, having already reached US$30.6tn by end-2021. On the debt-issuance front, ESG-themed issuance took almost 12 years from 2007, to reach US$1tn but just one year to reach USD2tn over 2020. In just the first six months of 2021, it crossed another US$1tn and is estimated to surpass USD11tn by end-2025.

About CDW Holding Limited(www.cdw-holding.com.hk)

CDW Holding Limited (the “Company” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) is a Japanese-managed precision components specialist serving the global market focusing on the production and supply of niche precision components for mobile communication equipment, gamebox entertainment equipment, consumer and information technology equipment, office equipment and electrical appliances. The Group is headquartered in Hong Kong and has operations in Japan, China and the Philippines. The Company has been identifying new businesses to invest in with the potential for growth and entered as part of its diversification strategy and has made forays into the Life Sciences sector since 2016. The Company’s aim for its Life Sciences business is to identify research-driven yet commercializable projects that can have a positive impact on the quality of human life.

Issued on behalf of : CDW Holding Limited
Contact : Ivan Hong / Gerald Woon
Office : (65) 6704 9288
Email / DID / Mobile : ivanhong@cogentcomms.com / (65) 6704 9287 / (65) 9055 8883
woon@cogentcomms.com / (65) 6704 9268 / (65) 9694 8364 

¹ Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange TRIM’s alkaline water generators are being used across a wide variety of settings; ranging from the home, to hospitals, commercial, and agricultural businesses. https://www.nihon-trim.co.jp/english/
² http://www.electrine.co.kr/main
³ https://online.boatshow.jp/exhibitors/tomoike/ 

SOURCE : CDW Holding Limited

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) — Impulse Dynamics, a global medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of people with heart failure (HF), has announced a late-breaking presentation of results from the CCM-HFpEF Piloty Study.

It is the largest clinical trial to date, studying the effects of the company’s proprietary CCM® therapy to treat HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to a statement.

The results presented — including a substantial 18 point improvement in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) quality of life score — indicate that, for patients with heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥50 per cent, CCM therapy not only offered meaningful improvement in quality of life but also substantially decreased hospitalisations versus the patient’s experience prior to the Optimizer® implant.

The results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s Heart Failure 2022 Congress.

Cecilia Linde, MD, Professor and Consultant in Cardiology at the Heart and Vascular Theme of Karolinska University Hospital and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, who was the co-principal investigator for this investigation, said: “The CCM-HFpEF Pilot Study was conducted to explore the hypothesis that CCM therapy might benefit patients with HFpEF.

“In our CCM-HFpEF-Pilot Study, we found significant benefits from CCM therapy in patients with preserved LVEF, supporting prior findings. I look forward to following the progress of the recently begun pivotal AIM HIGHer trial to continue this journey further.”

Meanwhile, Dr Ishu Rao, Medical Director for Impulse Dynamics, welcomed these results because they confirm the potential for positive results in the company’s recently initiated AIM HIGHer trial.

“We are also excited to announce that enrolment is well underway for this landmark IDE-approved, multicentre, randomised, and blinded pivotal trial designed not only to confirm Dr Linde’s groundbreaking work presented today but to go further yet by providing the first long term morbidity and mortality results for a modern Optimizer CCM device.”

HF affects more than 64 million people worldwide and leads to dramatic declines in a patient’s quality of life. Patients are often classified by a measure of cardiac function known as the ejection fraction (EF), which describes the percentage of blood pumped out of the left ventricle with each heartbeat.

CCM therapy is currently indicated in Europe for patients that have an EF below 50 per cent and has been proven to reduce hospitalisations. However, HF patients with higher EF have had few therapeutic options thus far, to alleviate their symptoms and treat their disease.

CCM therapy for HFpEF has already received the FDA’s breakthrough device designation. The Breakthrough Devices Program is a voluntary programme for certain medical devices that provide more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions.

More details at http://www.ImpulseDynamics.com.

— BERNAMA