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Indonesia optimistic about accession as full member of OECD
Indonesia will reap benefits from becoming a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), especially as a tool to increase the speed and scale of the country’s economic transformation to achieve national strategic goals.
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I
ndonesia will reap benefits from becoming a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), especially as a tool to increase the speed and scale of the country’s economic transformation to achieve national strategic goals. Therefore, efforts have been increased to be included as a permanent member.
A delegation from the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs made a working visit to the OECD headquarters in Paris on Nov. 3, as a follow-up to the statement of the government's interest in becoming a full member of the OECD. The statement was first conveyed via a letter from Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, under the direction of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
Among other things that were discussed, the Indonesian delegation touched upon interest in participating in committees, agencies and/or programs, as well as financing in parallel with the accession of Indonesia as a permanent member.
"At the central level, the Indonesian government continues to coordinate regarding Indonesia's interest in becoming an OECD member. Strong commitment was also demonstrated by several meetings between Indonesian government ministers and the secretary-general of the OECD," said secretary of the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Susiwijono Moegiarso.
Susiwijono also revealed that the ministries that are working toward being linked to the OECD have also been preparing themselves, both in terms of substance and other technical coordination, to make sure that the process will be as smooth as possible when granted. He quickly added that a national team will be formed by the government, which will focus on steps related to the OECD accession process to create a more structured coordination.
The efforts put in place have been well-received by OECD deputy director for global relations and cooperation Karim Dahou. He expressed his appreciation for the high commitment and seriousness of the Indonesian government in the process of becoming a full member of the OECD.
The Indonesian delegation was also given the opportunity to meet ambassadors and permanent representatives of the OECD, namely from Australia, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Canada and New Zealand. Each country expressed its support for Indonesia becoming a full member and offered the necessary support to speed up the process.
“The cooperation that exists with OECD countries is not only meant for the OECD membership process. Previously, cooperation was carried out with OECD member countries in the context of bilateral economic relations," said Edi Prio Pambuni, deputy for coordination of international economic cooperation at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs. He accompanied Susiwijono for the trip to France.
Edi also conveyed his appreciation for Australia and Japan, which have in writing expressed their commitment to providing technical support for Indonesia’s accession process. Furthermore, Indonesia will cooperate with newly accessed countries, as well as those that are currently candidates for the OECD to ensure good bilateral relationships with other members.
The visit to France also gave the Indonesian delegation the opportunity to hold a bilateral meeting with Brazilian Ambassador to International Organizations in Paris Sarquis José Buainain Sarquis to discuss the accession process of both countries.
In addition to deputy Edi and secretary Susiwijono, they were also joined by the Indonesian Ambassador to France and Andorra, Monaco, as well as the Permanent Indonesian Delegation to UNESCO Mohamad Oemar.
Edi also used the working visit to France to attend a meeting with the head of division of Asia Pacific and partnerships at the International Energy Agency (IEA), Toru Kjiwara, to discuss Indonesia's steps toward achieving its net-zero emissions target by 2060 or sooner and opportunities for cooperation with the IEA in Indonesia's decarbonization process.
