I

ndonesia is set to exercise its leadership in maritime and fisheries issues during the upcoming Our Ocean Conference in Bali next week, where the government also expects the forum to produce concrete actions on maritime governance that could benefit the country in the long run.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo chaired on Monday a Cabinet meeting discussing the country’s preparedness to host the international conference, the fifth of its kind, scheduled for Oct. 29-30, with at least 1,900 participants representing both governments and civil society organizations expected to attend.

He called on his aides to maintain the trust the international community had placed in Indonesia to host world-class events, especially after the success of the 2018 International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meeting in Bali earlier this month.

“I also hope that the Our Ocean Conference can be put to use as effectively as possible for furthering our national interests,” he said.

Senior officials in Jokowi’s administration have said that the conference, which will focus on measures taken to maintain ocean sustainability, will serve as a platform for Indonesia to reassert its ambition to become a global maritime fulcrum, Jokowi’s own vision, which was announced shortly after his inauguration in 2014.

The vision comprises five pillars, which include marine-resource management and maritime diplomacy, allowing Indonesia to invite other countries to get involved in marine cooperation as well as eliminating the source of conflicts at sea, such as illegal fishing and marine pollution.

Indonesia also expects to bring about many benefits in terms of developing international policies related to ocean governance, given that seas make up a vast area of the country’s territory, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said.

“The benefits include [the improved standing of Indonesia’s] leadership,” she said after the meeting. “Our country wants to become a global maritime fulcrum and so we must demonstrate our leadership [through the conference].”

The two-day international conference will delve into a number of issues, including marine-conservation areas, marine pollution, maritime security, climate change, marine plastic waste and sustainable fisheries, with the latter related to tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Although some of these issues have long been the currency of the international environmental agenda, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said most had a domestic element for Indonesia, whose future depends greatly on how the country can ensure the sustainable management of its waters.

“Our leadership means not only that we contribute to the world, but also that we address these issues in our country,” Retno said. “Because when we talk about oceans, we are talking about [Indonesia] and therefore [sustainable ocean governance] is not their [the world’s] issue, it is our issue.”

During the conference, Indonesia also expects to demonstrate a real commitment to reducing plastic waste in the oceans through a national movement on removing trash from a number of beaches across the country, which will kick off on Oct. 28.

A report from researcher Jenna Jambeck ranked Indonesia second on the list of the world’s biggest plastic-waste producers with 187.2 million tons, behind China with 262.9 million tons in 2015.

“[Through the movement] the world will see that we are serious about addressing the [marine waste] issue,” Retno said.

Indonesia also plans to voice the concerns of small island states that suffer from the impacts of climate change, part of the country’s commitment when campaigning for its non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council.