Indonesia encourages multilateral system reform in favor of developing countries

Indonesia’s foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, highlighted the importance of the collaboration paradigm to face the major challenges facing the world today, including geopolitical rivalry, bleak economic recovery, and the climate and energy crisis.

 

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, attended the Summit of the Future held at the UN Headquarters in New York, September 22-23, 2024, encouraging multilateral system reform in favor of developing countries.

The summit under the theme ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Future’ was held to build global consensus in strengthening multilateralism in efforts to overcome current and future global challenges, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement quoted by Indonesia Window on Wednesday.

In her speech, Indonesia’s foreign minister highlighted the importance of the collaboration paradigm to face the major challenges facing the world today, including geopolitical rivalry, bleak economic recovery, and the climate and energy crisis.

On the occasion, the minister delivered three main messages, namely, first, realizing lasting peace, and creating justice, stability and development.

“Peace can only be realised if international law is consistently enforced without double standards,” Retno said, calling for an immediate halt to the genocide committed by Israel in Palestine and emphasizing the importance of a two-state solution for Palestine.

The second is to ensure guarantees for the right to development, she said, while calling for joint efforts to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and trade discrimination and debt traps of developing countries or the Global South must be stopped.

“The gap must be bridged so as to make no country left behind,” she said.

The third is to realize an inclusive world order, she said, while explaining that more adaptive, responsive and effective global governance must be realized, including through reform of the UN Security Council, global financial architecture and the multilateral trading system.

“This multilateral system reform must take into account the voices and interests of developing countries,” she stated.

In addition to the plenary session, the minister also participated in an interactive dialogue session and re-emphasized the urgency of reforming the multilateral system and the importance of representation of developing countries in global governance.

“We must work together to realize peace, prosperity and justice for future generations,” she said.

The Summit of the Future, which produced three documents, namely the Pact of the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, contains a global commitment to reform the multilateral system, strengthen cooperation in the digital sector and collaboration for future generations.

The Summit of the Future began with Action Days on September 20-21, 2024, which was attended by representatives of parliament, local governments, civil society, youth, and the private sector.

Reporting by Indonesia Window