Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Wants G20 to be the Front Guard for Humanitarian Aid

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi while attending a meeting of the G20 foreign minister in New Delhi, India. (Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia)

JAKARTA - G20 members must always be at the forefront of providing humanitarian assistance to those in need both individually and collectively, with the prosperity and benefit of humans must continue to be the focus of the G20", said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi while attending a meeting of the G20 foreign minister (FMM) in New Delhi, India, Thursday.

In Session 2 of the meeting that carried the topic "War Against Terrorism, Mapping Global Skills, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management", Foreign Minister Retno raised two issues, namely related to humanitarian issues and disaster management.

Regarding humanitarian issues, Foreign Minister Retno said that war and conflict always bring misery to mankind, from Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Palestine, to Ukraine.

About humanity, Foreign Minister Retno reminded that some countries have neglected and adopted double standards on humanitarian issues in Palestine.

"At the Human Rights Council Meeting opening in Geneva a few days ago, none of the speakers touched on the Palestinian issue. This injustice must end immediately", said Foreign Minister Retno.

Regarding disaster management, the Foreign Minister conveyed two things. First, the importance of strengthening aspects of prevention and preparedness. Preventing disasters will save lives and the economy.

"As a disaster-prone country, Indonesia understands very well the importance of prevention and preparedness. We have accumulated knowledge and experience related to this and are ready in various ways with the whole world", said Foreign Minister Retno.

Investment in the fields of science, technology, and innovation is very important. Likewise with a comprehensive approach that involves stakeholders at large.

Second, the need to encourage stronger resilience to face external shock. Foreign Minister Retno said the G20 must look for ways to help countries expand social protection, maintain economic stability, and strengthen efforts to tackle climate change.

She continued, the G20 must also encourage the implementation of international commitments in the field of reducing disaster risk and climate change, including the 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework.

"In the region, Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN will strengthen regional mechanisms to deal with future emergency conditions, especially in the fields of health, food and energy security, and economic stability", said Foreign Minister Retno.

It is known that the FMM meeting consisted of two sessions, namely session 1 with the topic "Strengthening Multilateralism, Food Security and Energy, and Development Cooperation". Session 2 with the topic "War Against Terrorism, Mapping Global Skills, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management."