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‘Unity in diversity’ led Indonesia to G20 success
For too long, young people have been relying on people who are one or two generations above them to create policy on issues that affect them.
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Inclusivity: Along with other engagement groups, such as Business 20, Civil 20, Think 20 and Women 20, Youth 20 facilitates an inclusive space whereby the Group of 20 leaders consider the voices of multiple stakeholders in drafting their Declaration. (Courtesy of Angelo Wijaya) (Courtesy of Angelo Wijaya/Courtesy of Angelo Wijaya)
The Indonesian motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, or unity in diversity, epitomizes the country’s outlook on life. It is an integral part of Indonesia’s official emblem, and is enshrined in the Constitution.
Its manifestation during the Indonesian-led negotiation process was one of the main reasons behind the success of the Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali last week.
At a time when the international community’s focus was distracted by the war in Ukraine, many feared the Indonesian summit would amount to nothing more than purposeless pageantry. Instead, the summit brought nations together and led to meaningful multilateralism at the highest level.
This is, of course, a testament to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s efforts in orchestrating the presence of leaders and representatives with diametrically opposing ideologies around the decision-making table. He used Indonesia’s non-aligned geopolitical status to ensure that consensus was reached in the form of the Leader’s Declaration -- a conclusion many thought would never be possible.
At a time when the world is plunging into consecutive crises that threaten to exacerbate existing divisions, Jokowi’s actions, underpinned by Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, demonstrated that division could be healed when genuine efforts are made to build bridges.
Yet this motto was not only seen at the G20 Leaders’ Summit, but across all G20 engagement groups, including the Youth 20 (Y20) Summit as the official youth engagement group, which we had the opportunity to be part of.
The Y20 (the G20’s Official Youth Summit) is a forum that brings future young leaders from all G20 member countries to discuss, argue and exchange ideas, to reach a joint agreement regarding the agenda of the G20 presidency.
