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B20 Indonesia Summit inception meeting highlights global public-private partnerships
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he Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) recently held the inception meeting for Indonesia’s presidency for the upcoming B20 Indonesia Summit 2022.
Held from Jan. 27 to 28 in Jakarta with the support of PT Astra International, PT Bayan Resources, PT Indika Energy and Sinar Mas, the inception meeting was attended by Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Trade Minister M. Luthfi, Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate, as well as ambassadors from G20 countries.
Attending via teleconference from the Bogor Presidential Palace, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo along with Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and KADIN Chairperson Arsjad Rasjad provided keynote speeches alongside instructions on priority issues that will be highlighted in Indonesia’s G20 presidency and the B20 Indonesia Summit.
President Jokowi emphasized three priority issues to be championed at the summit: Global Health Architecture, Digital Transformation and Energy Transition.
According to the President, the transition to a sustainable green economy is a large responsibility, and at the same time provides a great opportunity as Indonesia possesses enormous potential for renewable energy. Therefore, he continued, Indonesia must prepare a downstream scenario, including funding and investment.
"Indonesia also pays serious attention to the development of digital technology, especially that which has a direct contribution to the empowerment of MSMEs and human resource development. Indonesia is also building an underwater telecommunications cable with the west coast of the United States that will increase Indonesia's bandwidth capacity by more than 100 percent," he said on Tuesday.
Jokowi also noted Indonesia’s focus on improving its global health architecture to be inclusive, equitable and responsive to crises through innovation and equitable production of vaccines, medicines and medical equipment. The President expressed his hope that the B20 community would be able to provide a concrete offer that would become Indonesia's legacy as the current holder of the G20 presidency by emphasizing global public and private partnerships for a just and sustainable world.
In the inception meeting, KADIN chairperson Arsjad Rasjid, who is also in charge of the Indonesian B20 presidency, said the world needed to encourage collaboration, innovation and inclusiveness in line with the transition out of the pandemic.
“As a communication and consultation forum for Indonesian businesspeople with the national and international community, KADIN encourages the business industry to use this B20 Forum to share information and technology, develop productive and innovative solutions, and improve their collaboration both at the sectoral and cross-sectoral levels, at the regional, national and international levels," he said.
Arsjad reaffirmed that B20 was not merely a ceremonial event for the benefit of a group of global business leaders participating in the task force and international advocacy caucus. The B20 event, he continued, was for all citizens of the world, especially MSMEs so that they could understand, participate and experience the positive benefits of the collaboration.
B20 Indonesia presidency organizing committee chairperson Shinta Kamdani, said B20 was a forum for business leaders that contributed 80 percent of the world's GDP. She also highlighted B20 Indonesia‘s 2,000 members, of which 37 percent are female leaders.
According to Shinta, the B20 Forum can recommend the necessary changes and carry out private sector-led transformation to benefit the economy by becoming more resilient, inclusive and sustainable in welcoming the new normal era, especially by contributing to eliminating the pandemic-borne crisis, increasing collaboration and stimulating global investment flows.
In 2022, KADIN Indonesia plans to hold a B20 side event in various locations across Indonesia. The main goal is to open doors for the world to explore Indonesia and introduce Indonesia's cultural diversity and beauty, while at the same time opening up investment opportunities ranging from the health sector to the new planned capital city as well as the tourism and creative economy sectors.
During the meeting, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto explained the importance of the B20 Forum in relation to the G20, especially regarding the government's plan to realize the three priority issues emphasized by the President. The global economic recovery, said Airlangga, would have a major impact on the Indonesian economy. He also places great emphasis on digital technology and the energy transition as the key to accelerating national economic growth.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair said Indonesia must take a lead position in the G20 countries and the B20 community to jointly conduct research and build global health infrastructure, especially vaccines to prevent the presence of future pandemics.
Kishore Mahbubani of the NUS Asia Research Institute observed Indonesia's important position in formulating a more equitable and inclusive global economic recovery policy, because it has earned the trust of western and eastern countries. Meanwhile, WEF founder Klaus Schwab said Indonesia had an important role to play in rebuilding a global economic order that was sustainable and resilient to pandemics through the acceleration of digital technology.
John WH Denton AO, secretary-general of the ICC, discussed the need to address inequality in restoring the global economy through collaboration, while World Bank managing director of development policy and partnerships Mari Elka Pangestu highlighted the global economy’s very fast but uneven recovery.
Gautam Kumra, Asia chair of McKinsey & Company, discussed the overall trend of post-pandemic recovery in the socioeconomic aspect, while John Kerry, the US President's special envoy for climate, discussed the importance of saving the Earth.
Other keynote speakers included Brad Smith (president & vice-chairman of Microsoft), Joseph C. Tsai (executive vice chairman of Alibaba), Börje Ekholm (CEO of Ericsson), Andre Soelistyo (CEO of GoTo Group), Anindya Novyan Bakrie (KADIN supervisory board chair), Michael R. Bloomberg (founder of Bloomberg LP), Alok Sharma (president of COP26), Amin H Nasser (president & CEO of Saudi Aramco), Mark Carney (UN special envoy on climate action and finance), Francesco Starace (CEO of Enel Group), and Andrew Forrest AO, (chairman & founder, Fortescue Future Industries, Fortescue Metals Group, Minderoo Foundation).
Leaders from multinational corporations and world institutions provided insight into the collaborations, innovations and technologies that could be used to help post-pandemic growth, as well as the steps businesses could take to keep the planet habitable, including in the renewable energy sector.
