VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews.id): Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi delivered Indonesia’s priorities and deliverables throughout the year of the country’s chairmanship in ASEAN. Retno summarized it into 3 pillars.

“The first pillar is on ASEAN matters, to remain relevant by maintaining its centrality and becoming an anchor of stability and regional prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” Retno said to the press at the Asean Secretariat Jakarta, Friday.

She added that Asean needs to be forward-looking and have a strong capacity to anticipate and address future challenges.

“Indonesia will propose initiatives to strengthen ASEAN readiness to address current and future challenges toward 2045. Including institutionalized dialogue on human rights, and enhanced cooperation to prevent and combat trafficking in person,” Retno said.

The second pillar is on epicentrum of growth, by strengthening Asean health architecture, food security, supply chains, and facilitation of trade.

“And ensuring energy security to support the transition from fossil energy to clean and renewable energy, and strengthening financial stability to protect our economy against future external shock,” the minister said.

The third pillar is the implementation of the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). Indonesia will push for the follow-up on mainstreaming the four priority areas of AOIP.

Indonesia will also convene several flagship events under the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum, namely Youth Dialogue on Digital Development for SDG in April; The Creative Economy Forum in August; and Infrastructure Forum and ASEAN Business and Investment Summit that will be held back-to-back with the 43rd Ascend Summit in September. (VOI/Yasmin)