Congratulations, UN Secretary General Appoints Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi As Special Envoy

Foreign Minister Retno and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. (Twitter/@Menlu_RI)

JAKARTA - Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Ant Totalio Guterres today announced the appointment of Retno LP Marsudi as an Envoy, especially for water affairs.

Citing the UN website Friday, September 13, the special envoy aims to build partnerships and joint efforts to advance the water agenda, including following up on the results of the United Nations (UN) Water Conference in 2023.

Later, the Special Envoy will take advantage of these results in order to go to various global water processes, especially the 2026 UN Water Conference.

"He will support efforts to ensure a safe future from water for all by advocate stronger political, economic and social-culture cooperation at all levels," the announcement said.

"This Special Order will also aim to increase international cooperation and synergy among various international water processes to support the achievement of all water-related goals and targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Lebih jauh dijelaskan, pembawa ini berperan sebagai champion dan advokat tingkat tinggi untuk isu-isu air dan sanitasi, mengangkat isu-isu air dalam agenda politik di dalam dan di luar PBB, memunitkan para pemangku kepenting di seluruh spectra, memperkuat kerja sistem PBB dan memobilisasi aksi dan sumber daya keuangan untuk mengatasi krisis air global.

Representing the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the global water process, Retno Marsudi will also cooperate with UN-WATER and its members to support the implementation of the UN System Strategy for Water and Sanitation at all levels, in line with the SDG 6 Global Accelerator Framework.

"Retno Marsudi will take on the role of Special Envoy for Water on November 1, 2024, after completing her term of service in the government," the announcement said.

He added that Retno Marsudi had extraordinary experience in diplomacy for nearly four decades, including serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia from 2014-2024, in which there was the implementation of the 10th World Water Forum in Bali 2024, which led to the Declaration of the Ministerial Level which was mutually agreed as a result of the Forum.

He is also said to have given dedication as reflected in Indonesia's leadership, including as a member of the UN Security Council (2019-2020), the President of the G20 (2022), the Chair of ASEAN (2023), and various other international entities and organizations.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, he was appointed as the Joint Chair of the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) Engagement Group to support the participation of 92 lower and lower-income middle-income countries in the COVAX Facility and ensure fair access to the COVID-19 vaccine.