Jakarta, 13 September 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi will represent Indonesia at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77).
The Foreign Minister will also attend a number of sideline meetings with other representatives.
Recently, reports started surfacing that Joko Widodo, the President of Indonesia will not attend this year’s 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Subsequently, the Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi will attend and address the session on behalf of the President of Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Agenda
The Director General of Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tri Tharyat briefed the public about Indonesia’s agenda for this year’s session.
The Indonesian government has prepared a five-point agenda for the 2022 UNGA 77 session.
Firstly, the Foreign Minister will emphasize Indonesia’s G20 presidency as well as preparations for the G20 Summit in Bali in November this year.
The 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place from 15 to 16 November 2022. The Summit will be the pinnacle of the G20 process and intense work carried out within the Ministerial Meetings, Working Groups, and Engagement Groups throughout the year.
The Foreign Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with all G20 partners on the sidelines of the UNGA. Additionally, meetings with ASEAN Foreign Ministers regarding the plan for Indonesia’s chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2023 will also be held.
Secondly, Indonesia will emphasize multilateralism during the session. This is so to enhance the spirit of inclusiveness in the multilateral process.
Thirdly, the Foreign Minister will highlight the important role of the United Nations in handling global challenges, such as pandemics, economic recovery, and climate change.
Fourthly, Indonesia will address its concerns about the need for strengthening the global health architecture, which is in accordance with the priorities of the Indonesian G20 presidency.
Lastly, Indonesia will strengthen efforts to resolve disputes peacefully during the session.
UNGA 77 session
The 77th Session of the General Assembly will open on the 13th of September. It will continue till the 27th of September with the first high-level general debate commencing on the 20th of September.
The theme of this year is “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.” It stems from the recognition that the world is at a critical moment in the history of the United Nations.
Therefore, it will hold discussions on sustainable development goals (SDGs) implementation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also highlight the war in Ukraine and humanitarian challenges of unprecedented nature.
Moreover, climate change as well as growing concerns over threats to the global economy add to these issues.
Also Read: 77th UNGA session 2022 commences