Meaning of Indonesian Presidency at G20 2022 for Sustainable Equitable Partnership
History records Indonesia’s achievements at the G20 Bali Summit 15-16 November 2022 in a row of Indonesia’s roles on the world stage that have had a long impact, starting with the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955. How big will the legacy of the G20 Bali be in the future? There are at least three leading media outlets from three regions of the world providing views on Indonesia’s role: The Economist published in England, Foreign Policy in the United States, and Nikkei Asia from Japan.
The Economist 19-25 November 2022 edition is published with a wayang cover entitled ”Asia’s Overlooked Giant”, praising the G20 meeting which has placed Indonesia in an important position on the world map, with the premise that in the coming decades Indonesia will grow to become one of the world’s economic giants , but followed by the question, “Can Indonesia realize what it has the potential to be?”
An interesting point from Foreign Policy magazine is the scenario leading up to the Bali G20 Summit where a group of rich economically formed countries during the frenetic globalization era will meet under the shadow of a new Cold War. China and Russia will fight with the US and its allies.
Ukraine is in the vortex of the conflict stage. There is concern among developing countries of the G20 that the interests of the rest of the world will be neglected as a result of the war. Putin’s absence at the Bali G20 summit is seen as a key part of that scenario. Not much can be expected from a situation like this. It turned out that what happened at the Bali G20 meeting did not reflect that scenario and succeeded far above expectations.
Meanwhile, Nikkei Asia paid special attention to the face-to-face meeting of US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The three-hour meeting eased tensions between the US and China which had the potential to erupt into a world crisis, particularly in the Asia Pacific.
Both sides have expressed and understood each other’s positions and conveyed what is known as the red line on the Taiwan issue, as the main source of tension between the two countries. The two presidents agreed to chart the right direction for China-US relations in dealing with global issues, including climate change and food security.
As a closing note, the Bali G20 Summit succeeded in formulating an agreement known as the “Leader’s Declaration” whose contents cover various aspects, such as economics, geopolitics, and the environment.
Some of the important points of this declaration are calls to stop the war in Ukraine, respect the UN principles, and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, although noting that there are different views.
This declaration also agreed on the establishment of a Pandemic Fund, as well as a mechanism for accelerating the green energy transition, as well as digital transformation to prepare for an information technology-based world economy.
The Declaration also provides financial support and debt handling for poor countries; handling energy and food security problems caused by war by maintaining global supply chains, as well as agricultural development with a scientific approach.
Indonesia specifically received a funding commitment of US$20 billion (around IDR 311 trillion) from the “Just Energy Transition Partnership” to help achieve net zero emissions by 2050, by developing new and renewable energy, and supporting the energy transition by phasing out coal-fired power plants.
Finally, one of the priority issues of the Indonesian Presidency was elaborated through the G20 Climate Sustainability Working Group. This working group promotes increased landand sea-based action to support environmental protection and climate change control goals(enhancing land- and sea-based actions to support environment protection and climate objectives).
Indonesia is supported by all G20 member countries pushing for this issue to be discussed given the important role of the oceans in increasing climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.
In particular, G20 member countries raised the importance of sharing data and information in the marine sector which is the basis for climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and actions, through knowledge exchange, technology development, capacity building on policy options, research, innovation, and best practice examples. among the members of the G20