JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo wants to have a big say in addressing the needs of developing and poor countries regarding health and climate issues at the upcoming Group of 20 summit and the United Nations' COP26 climate conference.
The president departed for Rome on Friday morning to address G-20 leaders over the weekend, when he will highlight issues ranging from the global economy and health to climate change and sustainable development. It will be Widodo's first visit abroad since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.
Equal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally has been one of Indonesia's major concerns. Earlier this week, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen issued a joint statement calling for a G-20 forum to discuss better health and finance coordination among countries to address the pandemic and similar threats in the future.
"[Lesser developed] countries that did not have the resources to respond quickly to this pandemic -- either to protect citizens with vaccines or to mitigate the impacts of economic devastation -- have a particular need for the international community to rally behind this initiative," said the statement released on Tuesday.
Indonesia will take over presidency of the G-20 from Italy by the end of the summit.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo © Reuters Widodo will then head to Glasgow, Scotland to join about 120 other leaders for the COP26 climate conference on Monday and Tuesday. As Southeast Asia's largest economy, Indonesia pledged during the 2015 Paris meeting on climate change to cut carbon emissions 29% by 2030 using its own means, or 41% if it receives international support. But continuing deforestation and heavy reliance on coal, which is the country's principal commodity export, have raised questions over whether the target can be achieved, especially given the government's lack of transparency.
"Indonesia is very consistent ... and working hard to fulfill what we've committed to: becoming part of solutions," Widodo told media prior to his Friday departure from Jakarta. "We don't want to engage in rhetoric that we wouldn't be able to implement."
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi earlier said the president will read a joint statement by the Archipelagic and Island States Forum at COP26. Indonesia has been one of the primary leaders of the forum, which consists of 47 island nations worldwide.
"Indonesia has taken a stance to lead by example in advancing climate actions ... and will work on bridging the gap in order to push for stronger international cooperation," Marsudi said.
Widodo is also slated to have a series of bilateral meetings with other country leaders on the sidelines of both the G-20 and COP26 -- including with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The President also will meet with representatives of European business associations to lobby for investment in Indonesia.
From Glasgow, Widodo will fly to the United Arab Emirates where he will meet separately with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Dubai Crown Prince Mohammed bin Rashid. The visit reflects tightening economic ties between the two predominantly Muslim nations. Widodo will also gather with members of the UAE business community and visit the Dubai Expo.
"Currently, cooperation at both government-to-government and business-to-business levels are still being discussed and negotiated in order to be concluded during the president's visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi," Marsudi said.