Indonesia strives for the G20 to work for the benefit of all, from developed and developing countries, north and south, big and small, archipelagic countries and small island states in the Pacific, as well as vulnerable groups that must be prioritizeJakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia will officially hold the 2022 presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) from December 1, 2021, as Italy hands over the year-long leadership to Southeast Asia's biggest economy at the Rome Summit, October 30-31.
With “Recover Together, Recover Stronger” as the theme for such a high-level conference, Indonesia is eyeing to boost inclusiveness among countries to work hand-in-hand and revive together after being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has reiterated Indonesia's unwavering commitment to ensuring that the G20 works for the benefit of all nations and countries.
"Indonesia strives for the G20 to work for the benefit of all, from developed and developing countries, north and south, big and small, archipelagic countries and small island states in the Pacific, as well as vulnerable groups that must be prioritized," he affirmed.
The country will be at the forefront in strengthening the multilateralism system and fostering effective global partnership.
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In addition, it ensures the global economy continues to be open, fair, and mutually beneficial as well as ascertain that no country is left behind, particularly the poor groups.
Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi has stated that the country will not only address the interests of G20 members but also those of developing countries and vulnerable groups.
The minister highlighted that collective recovery of nations in the world called for solidarity, teamwork, collaboration, and partnership.
"Indonesia will give special attention to developing nations in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and also small archipelagic nations in the Pacific and Caribbean," she stressed.
Through its presidency, Indonesia will harness the opportunity to help recover from the global crisis inclusively and sustainably; to mirror the trust of the international community in Indonesia's leadership; and to fulfil the mandate and responsibility in leading the world during the tough times amid the pandemic.
Indonesia underscored five key points derived from the topic: productivity; resilience and stability; sustainable and inclusive growth; enabling environment and partnership; collective global and leadership.
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“We are focused on increasing productivity; building a strong and stable global economy; boosting inclusive and sustainable growth; strengthening global and collective leadership; and creating a conducive environment for every partnership among stakeholders,” the ministry’s economic and environmental development director, Hari Prabowo, expounded.
Inclusiveness not only reflects in the theme but also in the logo of Indonesia’s presidency for the 2022 G20 that is full of noble philosophy.
The logo’s shape is inspired by Gunungan, a part of Javanese puppet art that is shown to change the act.
“Hence, it portrays that Indonesia plays an active role to bring the world into the new era: the post-pandemic recovery,” Prabowo pointed out.
Meanwhile, the motif of Kawung represents the national spirit to become better and bring more benefits for the community.
The motif of Kawung in the Gunungan shape is connected by the spiraling plants that exemplify the spirit for green, inclusive, and sustainable recovery.
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Reaching More Grassroots
Apart from Indonesia's duty of the G20 presidency to address the global agenda, it also aims to bring inclusivity in the country by reaching and encouraging greater grassroots involvement.
“We also bring the spirit at the national level, so that G20 has impacts up to the grassroots level,” the ministry’s multilateral cooperation director general, Febrian A. Ruddyard, underlined.
One of the ministry’s strategies for further reaching the grassroots level is to engage more stakeholders and business players through their associations or organizations, for instance, the Indonesian Women’s Congress (Kowani), to bridge the gap to help women.
“A special ministerial meeting on women empowerment and disabled people will also be held to discuss their roles, jobs, and other aspects,” Prabowo added.
Moreover, the government has identified specific sectors that are strongly related to most citizens, including the digital economy, that will likely be brought in during the G20 presidency.
“The digital economy has been the backbone of economic sustainability during the pandemic. Indonesia has successfully experienced major digital economy acceleration. Thus, there will be a task force to create working groups for making more action-oriented programs,” he noted.
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Another related sector is the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that has also played an important role in containing the economic fall owing to the pandemic.
“There will also be a special ministerial meeting on women's empowerment and disabled people to discuss about their roles, jobs, and other things,” he informed.
On the other hand, 127 meetings in total will be held as part of the G20 Summit. The meetings will not only be held in Bali but also be organized in several regions of Indonesia.
“We want to ensure that our presidency will proffers benefits to the community, and one of the ways is to hold the meeting in several cities and towns across Indonesia,” Prabowo affirmed.
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Hence, some sectors, especially tourism, including hotels and restaurants, can be benefited by the presidency.
“We will also showcase Indonesia's achievements in energy transition, infrastructure and what the country has done in every sphere,” he emphasized.
A preliminary study of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and Universitas Indonesia found that Indonesia’s G20 presidency will have short-term impacts on job creation for 33 thousand people across the meeting venues, increasing the national GDP to Rp7.43 trillion, and offer economic benefits 1.5 folds greater than those of the 2018 Annual Meeting of IMF and World Bank in Bali.
For medium- and long-term impacts, the presidency will help boost the nation's tourism and expedite economic recovery; showcase Indonesia’s development progress in infrastructure, connectivity, and foreign investment; attract more foreign investment for green economic development; and demonstrate Indonesia’s vaccination progress that will lead to improving the global trust in pandemic handling.
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Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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