Jakarta. Retno Marsudi officially commenced her duties as the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ Special Envoy for Water on Friday.

The former foreign minister, who served from 2014 to 2024, announced her new role through a post on her social media account, accompanied by a photo of herself against the backdrop of the UN flag.

“Today, November 1, 2024, I begin my new role as the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for water issues,” Retno wrote on her Instagram account.

She emphasized the importance of placing water issues at the forefront of the global political agenda and called for international cooperation to ensure that water remains a shared resource beneficial for all. “Water is life,” she said.

Guterres appointed Retno as his special envoy for water, a newly created position within the UN, on September 13. This appointment marks Retno as the first Indonesian to hold this distinguished role.

In her capacity as Special Envoy, Retno's responsibilities include strengthening partnerships and collective efforts to advance the global water agenda, including following up on the outcomes of the UN Water Conference 2023.

Retno is also tasked with enhancing global cooperation and synergy between international processes to support international water targets, including Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The former foreign minister is further charged with advocating for water issues to become a primary political agenda, both within the UN and beyond, as well as mobilizing action and funding to address the global water crisis and promote the achievement of international water-related targets.

In his statement regarding her appointment, Guterres acknowledged Retno's significant role as Indonesia's foreign minister in global diplomacy over the past decade, particularly during the 10th World Water Forum held in Bali in May, where a ministerial-level declaration was successfully agreed upon.