President Jokowi Alludes To The Right To Life Of Gazans At The APEC Summit Retreat

President Joko Widodo while attending APEC Economic Leaders Retret at the Monce Center, San Francisco, United States, Friday (17/11/2023) local time. BETWEEN/HO-Biro Press of the Presidential Secretariat

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo firmly criticized the conditions that occurred to the people in Gaza, Palestine because at this time let alone the right to build, the right to life for the Gazan people was not respected.

This was conveyed by the President of the Republic of Indonesia when opening his statement at the APEC Economic Leaders Retret which was held at the Monce Center, San Francisco, United States, Friday (17/11) local time.

"Before we start our topic on inclusive development, let's think for a moment about the people in Gaza. Never mind development, at this time their right to life is not respected," said the President in a press release reported by ANTARA, Saturday, November 18.

Therefore, President Jokowi urged APEC leaders to act to stop the war, push for a ceasefire, and ensure humanitarian aid for Gazans could be delivered without a hitch.

Furthermore, regarding inclusive development, President Jokowi said that APEC needs to prioritize the realization of inclusive and resilient economic opportunities and growth.

President Jokowi said the Asia Pacific region has great potential, 62 percent of global GDP and 48 percent of world trade comes from APEC.

"In the midst of uncertain world situations, APEC needs to prioritize the realization of inclusive and resilient economic opportunities and growth that can be achieved together," he said.

To achieve this, President Jokowi mentioned a number of things, namely the first is the need for a spirit of collaboration. The President considered that togetherness and strategic trust were needed to realize the vision of APEC 2040.

"This is the key to maintaining APEC relevance as a premium economic forum in the region," he explained.

Second, the Head of State considers it necessary to strengthen regional economic resilience in order to maintain resilience in the global supply chain.

The President continued that the dependence and dominance of global supply chains on a number of economies must be reduced.

"Evolved countries must play a role and participate in the global supply chain, including through downstreaming to support developing countries to make development leaps," he said.

Third, in terms of utilizing digital technology in the region, President Jokowi said that APEC must jointly bridge the digital gap through policy synergy and infrastructure strengthening that can be utilized to encourage inclusive economic growth, one of which is in the integration of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) into the digital ecosystem.

"The integration of MSMEs into the digital ecosystem is very important for the expansion of the market and strengthening the resilience of MSMEs, as the economic support for most APEC economies," he said.

President Jokowi emphasized that currently Indonesia is trying to continue to encourage the use of digital technology.

This utilization, said the President, was carried out both for the development of the creative economy and the development of MSMEs with a digitalization target of 30 million MSMEs by 2024.

The President also expressed his appreciation for APEC's support for Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN in 2023.

"I believe APEC and ASEAN can continue to collaborate to create a world growth center," he said.

Also accompanying President Jokowi in the meeting were Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi.