US Businesses Ship NY City’s Surplus PPE to Indonesia

(December 10, 2021)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

More than $7.2 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) is on its way to Indonesia thanks to the generosity of the City of New York and the support of Freeport- McMoRan Inc., in partnership with the US-ASEAN Business Council Institute (USABCI); the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (AICC); Yayasan BUMN untuk Indonesia, the foundation associated with the Indonesia Ministry of State-owned Enterprises; and the Global Task Force on Pandemic Response (GTF).

The 262 tons of PPE to address COVID-19-related needs, including COVID-19 test kits, N95 masks, and a variety of disposable gowns, were initially acquired in 2020 by the City of New York and donated after the City did not need to use them. Freeport-McMoRan has paid the shipping costs, and FedEx has organized the shipments to arrive at the Port of Jakarta in four ocean shipments between mid-December and early January.

“Once again, the U.S. business community has shown its heart, and it is an honor to collaborate with Freeport-McMoRan and FedEx to spread not just vital material but good will to the people of Indonesia,” said AICC President Wayne Forrest. 

The donation of the 46 40-foot containers follows two air shipments of New York City-donated PPE in mid-September worth nearly $275,000 and supported by in-kind contributions from express freight carriers FedEx and UPS.

Indonesia battled a spike in COVID-19 cases during the summer due to the highly transmissible delta variant. While the peak in cases has ebbed, there is still an urgent need for relief materials, especially with the emergence of the omicron variant. Having enough PPE on hand will give Indonesia greater resilience in responding to potential spikes in the future as new variants of the virus emerge.

“We are very grateful to all of the organizations for their enormous generosity to ensure the protection of communities throughout Indonesia in overcoming the current COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia” said Harjawan Balaningrath, Chairman, Yayasan BUMN untuk Indonesia.  “As we receive this vital equipment, we will work closely with the Indonesia military and police to conscientiously warehouse the pallets and see that they are distributed to provinces in greatest need, especially those in the east.”

Ceremonies to celebrate the effort were held in New York, NY on December 6, in conjunction with the Indonesian Street Festival, and will be held in Jakarta in mid-December when the first vessel with six containers pulls into port.