International Partnerships Key to Face Global Challenges: Foreign Minister
Jakarta. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said countries must put international partnerships first in their effort to find solutions for global issues such as armed conflicts, terrorism and other humanitarian crises. Her comment came during a ministerial meeting of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) on the sidelines of the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
"Not a single country can face thechallenges of the 21st century without engaging in international co-operations," Retno said at the meeting on Wednesday (21/09), as quoted in an official statement from the Foreign Ministry.
International co-operations can involve multilateral partnerships, regional organizations as well as non-government organizations.
"We need to apply democratic principles not only at a national level, but also in international partnerships," Retno said.
"We have to reduce the gap between the well-meaning resolutions we produce in meetings such as this and their implementation on the field," she said.
An ICM report said that global conflicts have increased by threefold since 2007, with over 60 million people having had to flee from terrorist attacks, conflicts, natural and man-made disasters as well as poverty.
The report reiterated the importance of multilateral partnerships, especially through the United Nations, in facing these challenges — something that Retno thoroughly supports.
The minister also advised the UN Secretariat should get more involved with solving global problems but at the same time maintain its independence in its official role to provide support for the UN Security Council.
"Indonesia has demonstrated its commitment to international partnerships with our active involvement in the UN peacekeeping force, and our participation in development, peace and mediation projects both under the UN or with regional partners," Retno said.
ICM is an initiative of the International Peace Institute (IPI) and the UN Secretary General established in September 2014 to identify various policy recommendations and improve the UN's multilateral system.
The commission is chaired by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and supported by the Canadian, Norwegian and United Arab Emirates governments.
Retno is a member of the ICM Ministerial Board.
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