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s both countries join the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as nonpermanent members, we outline a vision of what practicing multilateralism from an Indo-German perspective should entail.

At first glance one might think what an unusual pair: Indonesia and Germany, located on different continents, each with neighborhood problems of their own.

One country shaped by a Christian-Jewish cultural heritage, the other with a long multicultural and religious tradition as well as the tradition of Islam wasathiyah (moderate Islam).

And yet at second glance Germany and Indonesia have a lot in common. They are both large democracies and strategically important countries within their respective regions — in fact, to the extent that others ascribe them a sense of responsibility within their neighborhoods.

Representing Western Europe and Asia, the two countries have been elected as nonpermanent members of the UNSC. They will serve on the international community’s prime security institution for the next two years.

They do so in particularly troubling times, as the international rules-based order is under stress and authoritarianism is globally on the rise.

While much has been said and written about the alliance of multilateralists, the concept has remained somewhat fuzzy.

For us, however, the challenge is clear: We need to bridge geographical distance across the globe by building a network of multilateralists that share a commitment to the rules-based international order.

Therefore, we believe that during our shared term at the UNSC, both our countries should look beyond their immediate spheres of interest and aspire cooperation where one might not necessarily expect it.

In doing so, we hope to open a debate that goes way beyond bilateral Indo-German cooperation and lay out a vision and, more so, a project that will encourage others to join along the way — thereby forging a true alliance of multilateralists.

In times in which our life worlds are radically changing, it is our understanding that a multilateralist vision needs to put security first. As the rules-based international order erodes, new challenges to state and human security arise and yet the UNSC is increasingly unfit to tackle these challenges.

With difficulties in the bilateral relationships between some of the Permanent-5, the elected-10 or nonpermanent members should help create a much more conductive atmosphere within the UNSC.

Indonesia and Germany can play important roles in this regard by proposing independent initiatives and jointly pressuring the P-5 to secure and implement the main tasks of the UNSC with as few veto threats as possible.

In our view, two topics are particularly important to focus on, namely maritime security cooperation and mediation to build peaceful and stable regions.

As the largest archipelagic state in the strategically most important waterways in the world, maritime security is critical for Indonesia.

But cooperation in order to keep sea lanes safe is also a matter of global consequence. This is particularly evident in the Asia Pacific, where the two largest powers, China and the United States, have shown ambivalent positions on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We urge China and the US to lead by example in respecting, ratifying and implementing the Convention.

But our two countries should equally do their share. We believe that Germany and Indonesia should be part of an inter-regional response to maintaining the freedom of the seas.

Special emphasis should be given to the full implementation of Article 23 of UNCLOS, which governs the right of innocent passage for nuclear-powered ships through territorial seas.