Indonesia is currently holding the Presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), a forum comprising 20 of the world's major economies, which focuses on policy coordination in the economic and development spheres.
Indonesia took over the Presidency of the G20 for a period of one year: from December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2022.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi handed over the Presidency of the G20 to President Joko Widodo on October 31, 2021, at the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy.
The G20 comprises 19 countries and one region: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, People's Republic of China (PRC), France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
Together, they account for 85 percent of the global GDP (gross domestic product), 75 percent of international trade, and 60 percent of the global population.
During its Presidency, Indonesia is seeking to encourage all member nations to work hand-in-hand in efforts to restore various global sectors.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan delivered the statement at the “Journalists Forum of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investments: Guarding the Indonesian G20 Presidency” in Bali.
Indonesia, as the host, raised the theme, “Recover Together, Recover Stronger,” with great enthusiasm.
The theme was raised by looking at the changing global conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pandjaitan said.
Through the G20 Presidency, Indonesia is raising three main issues that are important for all member countries, namely the development of global health infrastructure, digital transformation, and the transition to green energy, he added.
The three issues have become the main focus of discussions of Indonesia's Presidency amid the hope of enabling a stronger and sustainable global recovery, wherein economic growth can go hand in hand with social aspects such as health, digital technology, and green energy.
The summit meeting of the Indonesian G20 Presidency in Bali province will be attended by all heads of state who are members of the grouping, Pandjaitan said.
For this reason, at the direction of President Joko Widodo, Indonesia, as the host, has to prepare the entire series of events, prepare the venue for the event, and provide security to all heads of state properly, he added.
All preparations to welcome the heads of state have been carried out since last year and until now, work at several places, such as Garuda Wisnu Kencana and Mangrove Tahura, is still being carried out to support the big event.
In addition, there will be several other venues, such as the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, The Apurva Kempinski Hotel, Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Center, and the Bali Collection, which will be a part of these events.
It is hoped that all event venues will be ready one month before the peak event takes place, the Coordinating Minister said.
Support from journalists
Pandjaitan then urged all journalists to continue to support G20 events organized under Indonesia's Presidency.
"All journalists are asked to continue to support the continuity of the Indonesian G20 Presidency event, both in its preparation process and its implementation later by providing good, factual, and accountable information," he added.
Through the journalists' forum, he said he hoped to create collaboration in the terms of delivering information by national and international media to the public regarding the preparations for the Indonesian G20 Presidency until the peak day of the event.
“The submission of information related to the readiness of Indonesia's G20 until the day of the event is expected to be able to open public understanding, both nationally and internationally, about the entire series of Indonesia's G20 (events) and also their benefits," the Coordinating Minister said.
At the G20, there are two pillars of discussion: the financial pillar called the Finance Track and the Sherpa Track, which focuses on non-financial economic and development issues. Each of the pillars has working groups.
In addition to the two tracks, there are also engagement groups. These include 10 community groups from various professional circles, which discuss various topics.
Each engagement group has an important role in global recovery, especially through concrete ideas and targeted policy recommendations for G20 leaders.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment Ayodhia G.L. Kalake said that Indonesia is optimistic that its G20 Presidency will have a multiplier effect on the economy and the welfare of the world community.
"Bringing the theme 'Recover Together, Recover Stronger,’ Indonesia is optimistic that it will be able to provide a multiplier effect for the economy and the welfare of the world community, which, during the COVID-19 pandemic, experienced a multidimensional crisis," Kalake said.
Under this theme, Indonesia has invited all countries to work together, recover together, and grow stronger and more sustainable.
In 2022, Indonesia has had the honor to hold this important event and highlight three priority issues regarding the global health architecture, digital transformation, and energy transition, he noted.
The G20 Presidency is expected to play a role in restoring global economic conditions, revitalizing all sectors, and strengthening the sustainable foundation for a more prosperous future.
Since the G20’s formation in 1999, this is the first time Indonesia has been appointed as the host of the multilateral cooperation forum, he added.
He said he realized that one of the parties that had a big role in the success of the implementation of the Indonesian G20 Presidency was the media.
"Therefore, on this occasion, I invite media friends to support the implementation of the Indonesian G20 Presidency, especially in the field of communication and dissemination of integrated public narratives under the coordination of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, which leads the communication orchestration in an effective, massive, and targeted manner," he remarked.
He said he hoped that all parties would work together to provide positive and constructive opinions on the implementation of activities under the Indonesian G20 Presidency by applying an intermestic approach in amplifying information to the domestic and international community, especially in providing the latest information on the G20 Presidency.
"We hope that our media partners can become a bridge of information for people who want to know about Indonesia's role in this international forum,” he added.
As chair of the Secretariat for Support for the Organizing of G20 Events, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment has been tasked with coordinating a series of preparations for the G20 Presidency, which cover five fields, namely logistics and infrastructure, communications and media, side events, security, and health protocols.
He said his colleagues could later coordinate with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics in carrying out coverage related to the implementation of the Presidency.
The committee will also prepare a Media Center as a data and information center, which will provide documentation, press releases, and other content that can be shared and utilized for broad dissemination of information to the public.
In addition, there will also be a co-working space, which is expected to support the work of mediapersons.
"As additional information, the Indonesian government has also prepared related infrastructure such as the VVIP Lounge at Ngurah Rai Airport to welcome the arrival of heads of state/leaders, international standard hospitals in the Nusa Dua area, as well as basic infrastructure improvements," Kalake informed.
At the G20 Summit later this year, the government will use battery-based electric motorized vehicles (KBL BB) produced in Indonesia as the official vehicles for heads of state/leaders as well as operational vehicles.
This is meant to showcase them and demonstrate the Indonesian government’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions generated from the use of fossil fuels, he said.
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