Government Restores Economy Through Synergy Of Indonesian Leadership In G20 And ASEAN

Thursday, January 6, a meeting was held between Co-Sherpa G20 Edi Prio Pambudi, HLTF-EI Lead Indonesia Rizal Affandi Lukman, and Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Satvinder Singh. (Ist Photo)

JAKARTA - It turns out that 2022 is a very important year for The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in which 3 (three) major international economic cooperation forums are led by ASEAN member countries, including Indonesia as the G20 Presidency, Cambodia as Chair of ASEAN, and Thailand became the Chair of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

In addition to being the G20 Presidency, Indonesia is currently also the Chair of the High Level Task Force on Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) Forum and will also continue to lead the ASEAN Forum in 2023.

For this important and strategic role, Thursday 6 January, a meeting was held between G20 Co-Sherpa Edi Prio Pambudi, HLTF-EI Lead Indonesia Rizal Affandi Lukman, and Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Satvinder Singh to formulate various steps together in the framework of synergy and collaboration between the G20 and ASEAN.

“The trust given by ASEAN member countries to assume the leadership role of HLTF-EI this year must be utilized by Indonesia to its full potential. For that, Indonesia needs to prepare carefully and play this important role,” said Rizal Affandi Lukman, Special Staff of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy as HLTF-EI Lead Indonesia.

In relation to the recovery of the COVID-19 pandemic as a top priority for the G20 and ASEAN, G20 Co-Sherpa Edi Prio Pambudi stated that economic recovery must be felt equally by all countries in the region, in line with the theme of this year's G20 Presidency "Recover Together, Recover Stronger". Synergy and collaboration from various international forums such as the G20 and ASEAN are becoming increasingly important, especially in accelerating vaccination programs, realizing smooth travel and mitigating future pandemics.

As the most dynamic region in the world, ASEAN must be able to respond well to various changes and emerging issues. To that end, ASEAN continues to support digital transformation efforts in the Region, one of which is through the ASEAN Agreement on E-commerce. Going forward, ASEAN is committed to expanding and deepening the scope of cooperation in the digital economy through the Digital Economy Framework Agreement, which is expected to be negotiated in 2025.

In addition, as a follow-up to the Leaders endorsement of the Consolidated Strategy on the Fourth Industrial Revolution for ASEAN at the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits in October 2021, ASEAN must be able to follow up on the Leaders' mandate into a concrete implementation plan for the industrial revolution in ASEAN that can be implemented. by ASEAN member countries that pay attention to the transition from conventional energy use to renewable energy by industry.

The circular economy and sustainable development are also emerging issues that ASEAN has anticipated with the preparation of the Circular Economy Framework for the ASEAN Economy Community. Dissemination of information to industry players and the general public is the key to implementing the adopted Framework.

The meeting also discussed the implementation of the Mid-Term Review ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 recommendations and preparations for the preparation of the ASEAN Community Post-2025 Vision which will become the main guide for the integration of the ASEAN Region in the future.

Regarding various initiatives carried out by Indonesia, DSG Satvinder Singh expressed support for Indonesia's strategic role as the G20 Presidency in 2022 and ASEAN Chair in 2023.