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.
Don’t let the world fall into another cold war
If the war does not end, it will be difficult for us to take responsibility for the future of the current generation and future generations.
Change Size
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo delivers his closing speech during the Business 20 (B20) Summit as part of the Group of 20 dialogue, in Nusa Dua, Bali on Nov. 14. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
The world is experiencing extraordinary challenges. Crisis after crisis is happening. The COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over; rivalries continue to sharpen; wars erupt.
The impact of these various crises on food, energy and financial security is felt by the world, especially in developing countries.
The fertilizer problem must not be underestimated. If we do not immediately take steps to ensure sufficient supplies of fertilizer at an affordable price, then 2023 will be an even-more dismal year.
The current high food prices may escalate into a food-shortage crisis. Fertilizer scarcity can lead to crop failure in various parts of the world. The 48 developing countries with the highest levels of food insecurity will face very serious conditions.
Apart from that, we also see that the international order and international law are also being tested.
Today the eyes of the world are fixed upon our meeting. Are we going to achieve success, or will we add more to our failures? For myself, the Group of 20 has to succeed, and it cannot fail.
As president of the G20, Indonesia has made every effort to bridge very deep and very wide differences. However, success can only be achieved if all of us, without exception, are able to shore up commitment, work hard and put aside our differences to produce something concrete, something that is beneficial to the world.
Indonesia consists of 17,000 islands, is home to 1,300 ethnic groups and speaks more than 700 local languages. Democracy in Indonesia is practiced from the village level, through village head elections, up to the state level, with elections for the president, governors, regents and mayors.
As a democratic country, Indonesia is very aware of the importance of dialogue in reconciling differences, and the G20 must show the same spirit.
We have no other option. The paradigm of collaboration is badly needed to save the world. We all have a responsibility, not only to our own people, but also to the people of the world.
Being responsible means respecting international law and principles of the United Nations Charter consistently. Being responsible means creating win-win, not zero-sum, situations.
Being responsible here also means that we must end the war. If the war does not end, it will be difficult for the world to move forward. If the war does not end, it will be difficult for us to take responsibility for the future of the current generation and future generations.
We should not divide the world into parts. We must not let the world fall into another cold war.
Indonesia hopes that the G20 can continue to be a catalyst for inclusive economic recovery. In the midst of a very difficult situation, the G20 continues to work to produce concrete results, to prepare funds to deal with future pandemics through the pandemic fund, to help low-income countries face fiscal constraints through resilience and sustainability trust, to accelerate the achievement of SDGs, to produce hundreds of concrete collaboration initiatives and to support a greener and more-sustainable global economic recovery through the Bali Compact on energy transition. We are not here just to talk, but to take concrete steps.
Finally, let us show the world that we can be wise, assume responsibility and show leadership. Let us work, and let us cooperate for the world.
Recover together, recover stronger.
***
The writer is President of Indonesia. The article is based on his speech at the opening of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali, on Nov. 15.
