TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Indonesia upbeat about UNSC bid

Indonesia is determined to win a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi braving nearly 100 meetings as part of the country’s campaign

Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post)
United Nations
Mon, October 2, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

Indonesia upbeat about UNSC bid

I

ndonesia is determined to win a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi braving nearly 100 meetings as part of the country’s campaign.

The past week-and-a-half saw the Indonesian delegation work tirelessly and quickly to lobby for support for the 2019–2020 period at the UNSC, but Jakarta seems more confident than ever.

Retno claimed that she and Kalla took part in 85 to 90 meetings throughout the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) high-level week, mostly in the form of bilateral talks or group lobbies.

Retno hosted several meetings with groups of countries, such as Eastern and Central Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa. The delegation also met with members of the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM), as well as current and former UNSC member states.

“Just from such events, we had the chance to speak with [the representatives of] around 50 countries about our candidacy for the UNSC. I will continue to make contact with the permanent representatives of countries we were unable to meet to ask for their support,” Retno said on Thursday.

She has repeatedly said Indonesia would continue to work hard to achieve and even surpass 129 votes, the minimum number needed to win the UNSC seat.

But quantity alone will not guarantee a spot in the UNSC, which is why Jakarta has been promoting its credibility and proven track record, as well as a sense of leadership officials say is apparent in Indonesia’s engagement on issues in various forums.

“In such difficult times, when the world is becoming increasingly uncertain, the leadership to bring about change and contribute to global peace and stability is required,” Retno said.

Indonesia is an active participant in many multilateral groups, with some meeting annually on the sidelines of the UNGA, including ASEAN, NAM, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Group of 77 developing nations (G77).

“The impression we got from the countries we met was optimistic; that Indonesia possesses the credibility, track record and leadership — those are our ‘assets’ in this campaign,” said Triansyah Djani, Indonesia’s permanent representative to the UN.

Declining to reveal the number of countries that have voiced their support for Indonesia, he said several others had indicated their tacit support, but were compelled to wait until closer to the ballot.

Triansyah added that Indonesia was deploying all officials, diplomats and representative offices abroad to reign in the votes.

During the UNGA, Kalla and Retno worked to showcase Indonesia’s contributions and leadership in all the issues that were raised, such as its quick response to the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, lessons learned in counterterrorism or as a major contributor to peacekeeping operations.

During the general debate session, Kalla outlined Indonesia’s three priorities should it be named a UNSC member: to develop the UN as a robust global institution, work toward sustaining peace and stability with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and to lead the global fight against terrorism.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.