FACT SHEET: U.S.-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation

As part of the U.S.-Indonesia Strategic Partnership, the United States and Indonesia are working together on a wide range of maritime cooperation that will advance our shared maritime security interests, protect our global oceans, and promote sustainable development in the marine sector. On October 24, 2015, Indonesia and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Cooperation. This fact sheet provides further details on a number of key maritime initiatives between the United States and Indonesia.

• Protecting Coastal Communities and Fisheries: The United States will provide substantial assistance to support conservation of marine biodiversity, sustainable fisheries management, and improved governance of marine resources at local, district, provincial, and national levels in Indonesia.  Efforts will focus on the three provinces in eastern Indonesia with the highest marine biodiversity.
• Combatting Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing: The United States and Indonesia work closely to combat and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing both in Indonesian and in the broader ASEAN region.  The U.S. Agency for International Development, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Justice, and Department of Defense assist Indonesia through procurement of technologies, systems integration, and capacity building.  This includes training related to implementation of the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures, fisheries enforcement, and information and intelligence analysis.  Our collaboration also will support Indonesia’s capacity to comply with the new data requirements of the U.S. seafood traceability program, which is being developed to combat seafood fraud and IUU seafood in U.S. commerce.
• Expanding Marine Science & Technology Collaboration: Under the U.S.-Indonesia Agreement on Science and Technology Collaboration, NOAA collaborates with Indonesia to conduct joint observation and research on marine ecosystems, including oceanographic and climate variability research.  This will improve our understanding of the complex interactions between the ocean and atmosphere and our ability to predict long-term climate change and ecosystem responses.  The United States and Indonesia will be able to:  assist with forecasting drought and abnormal rain fall for Indonesia, understand how oceanographic phenomena within the Indian Ocean affect the United States, and understand ecological impacts of ocean acidification on coral reefs.
• Improving Security at Sea and Ports: The U.S. Coast Guard and Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security Program conduct boarding officer training courses.  The U.S. Coast Guard’s International Port Security Program also conducts capacity building for compliance with International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) standards. These efforts aim to detect and deter security threats in the maritime transport sector, especially for goods shipped between the United States and Indonesia.
• Promoting Environmentally-Sustainable Economic Growth: The United States and Indonesia will explore and support trade and investment activities to further develop trade ties between the United States and Indonesia in the maritime sector.  We will also explore the creation of public-private partnerships, organization of business roundtables, and promotion of trade shows to support the sustainable development of Indonesia’s fisheries and ports.  Indonesia and the United States, including through collaboration with the private sector, will support the use of sustainable catch methods by seafood businesses operating in Indonesia.
• Assisting Victims of Forced Labor within the Seafood Industry and Encouraging Justice: The United States contributes emergency victim assistance funds to support efforts by Indonesia and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to rescue victims of forced labor within the fishing industry.  The United States also encourages the Indonesian government to develop procedures to identify victims and refer them to care, as well as advocating for increased efforts to prosecute and convict recruitment agencies, brokers, and corrupt public officials involved in their exploitation.
• Assisting and Protecting Irregular Migrant Movements:  In response to the May-June 2015 maritime migrant crisis in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, the United States contributed emergency funds to IOM and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to meet the needs of vulnerable migrants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, and Bangladesh by providing temporary shelter and non-food items, health and nutrition support, voluntary assisted returns, international protection, information sharing, and addressing root causes.