Indonesia kicks off campaign for UNSC seat

Kalla, who attended the 71st UN General Assembly on behalf of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, marked the official start of the campaign by sounding a gong at the UN headquarters during an event featuring a reception and Indonesian cultural performances.

 

Jokowi skipped the annual event for the second year in a row since becoming President in 2014.

 

In a speech before the UN General Assembly, Kalla said the UN needed reforms to make it stronger and more relevant to 21st century challenges and realities. Among the issues it was facing, he cited irregular migration resulting from conflict in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and other places, along with climate change, unregulated fishing and cybercrime.

 

Kalla noted Indonesia’s steady commitment to increase its peacekeeping force to 4,000 personnel by 2019 and its efforts to fight terrorism both regional and globally. As the world’s most populous Muslim nation and its third-largest democracy, Indonesia sees Islam, modernity and women empowerment as going hand in hand with the promotion of democracy, tolerance, pluralism and peace, he said as quoted by the Associated Press

 

Selections of the new non-permanent Security Council members in 2019-2020 will be made in mid-2019. Other Asia-Pacific candidates are India and Vietnam.

 

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi meanwhile said Indonesia was ready to take on the UNSC job.

 

“Indonesia has the required qualifications for UNSC non-permanent membership for the 2019-2020 term and we are ready for it,” Retno said in a statement on Saturday.

 

Retno launched efforts for Indonesia’s bid for UNSC non-permanent membership on Friday.

 

The launch coincided with a diplomatic reception held on the side lines of the UN General Assembly to mark the 71st anniversary of Indonesian independence.

 

At the event, Retno spoke of Indonesia’s standing in the world, which she said made it a suitable candidate to become a UNSC non-permanent member.

 

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation, third largest democracy and largest Muslim-majority country, she said.

 

Indonesia has also proven that Islam, democracy, modernity and women’s empowerment can work together, Retno added, as quoted by Antara news agency.

 

“With more than 17,000 islands, which are home to more than 1,300 ethnic groups, Indonesia is a genuine model for tolerance and pluralism, the values that it has always projected in its relations with other countries,” she said.

 

Indonesia was first elected a UNSC non-permanent member for the 1974-1975 period, before being chosen for a second time in 1995-1996 and a third time in 2007-2008, when the country received 158 votes from the 192 member states that vote at the UN General Assembly.

 

After officially launching the bid, Kalla met with US business community members in New York.

 

The meeting was organised by the American-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (AICC) and was attended by 50 top executives from US companies representing the fields of energy, IT, consumer goods, finance and health.

 

It was also supported by other US associations, including the US Chamber of Commerce (USCC) and the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC).

 

The total value of the economic relationship between Indonesia and the US could reach $131.7 billion in 2019, a 46 per cent increase from $90.1 billion in 2014, according to the US-Indonesia Investment Report 2016 released by the USCC and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Indonesia.