VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto met with the UN Secretary General António Guterres at the UN Headquarters, New York, to discuss various geopolitical developments, impacts of the global crisis, and G20 Summit preparations.

The minister also highlighted various important developments in the G20 meeting throughout this time.

"Indonesia is committed to fighting for the three main agendas of G20 this year, specifically Global Health Architecture, Digital Economy Transformation, and Energy Transition," he noted through a statement on Friday.

G20 countries' commitment within the Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) is realized through improvement in funding allocation.

"Domestically, Indonesia has prioritized the energy transition agenda by pursuing various programs, such as decarbonization through coal-phase out, hydropower plant, and exploring the Carbon-Capture Utilization Storage (CCUS) cooperation," he stated.

During the conversation centering on the global crisis, the minister noted that Indonesia's food security is deemed to be relatively strong, with surplus of food production and availability of fertilizers for the future.

In connection with the conflict in Ukraine, food disruption, and global agriculture products, the minister lauded Guterres' efforts in forming the Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG) and Black Sea Initiatives (BIS).

"The Indonesian government supports the extension of Black Sea Initiatives until November 2022," Hartarto remarked.

Guterres noted that discussions were underway on the extension of BIS, but the UN is optimistic that this extension would be approved, so that it can be announced immediately.

He also extends full support and is willing to voice the interest of Indonesia's G20 Presidency for the success of the summit in Bali.

He also sought support from Indonesia and other major developing countries, such as Brazil, India, and South Africa, to take strategic steps in handling the impact of climate change.

All through this time, the UN has established communication and provided support to the issue of climate change. In future, the UN will be ready to delve into collaboration with G20 on this important issue.

Crisis in the finance sector, debt relief agenda, including debt reduction, will continue to be fought for and an agreement is being sought in the G20 Forum.  (Antaranews)