ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The Indonesia-Pacific Parliamentary Partnership (IPPP) General Session was officially held at the Fairmont Hotel, Jakarta, Thursday, July 25 2024. This event was the second time for the Indonesian Parliament to hold a joint session with the parliaments of countries in the Pacific region.
The opening of the session was attended by the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) together with the Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani.
The Pacific parliamentary delegates who attended the 2nd IPPP Session were from the Cook Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Republic of Fiji. Meanwhile, the parliaments of Vanuatu, Nauru, Palau, French Polynesia and New Caledonia have not been able to attend the invitation.
Puan Maharani said that the IPPP was an initiative of the Indonesian parliament, where the first meeting between the Indonesian parliament and the parliaments of Pacific countries was held in 2018.
“Since then, the enthusiasm to strengthen Parliamentary partnerships between Indonesia and Pacific countries has remained maintained and has even grown stronger. “Today, the strength of our spirit of brotherhood is demonstrated by the level of attendance of the Parliamentary Leaders at this meeting,” said Puan.
Of the delegates who attended the 2nd IPPP Session, eight state representatives were heads of parliament. Meanwhile, the rest are deputy leaders and members of parliament, up to senators.
Puan said the relationship between Pacific countries and Indonesia is a comprehensive relationship.
“Not only do we have solid inter-Governmental relations, we also have solid inter-Parliamentary relations. “In fact, today we can hold a meeting between the Chairmen of the Parliaments of Pacific countries and Indonesia,” he said.
Puan also said that Indonesia and Pacific countries have similarities as fellow archipelagic countries surrounded by waters and oceans. Apart from that, Indonesia and Pacific countries are also said to have similar values.
“Our country upholds democratic values, respects human rights, and implements good governance,” emphasized Puan.
As archipelagic countries, Indonesia and Pacific countries are considered to face the same challenges, such as the threat of climate change, disasters and challenges in sea and water management.
These similarities, said Puan, could become capital for developing better relations in the future by focusing on working together on issues of mutual interest.
“In this case, the foundation of strong relations between Indonesia and Pacific countries is a relationship based on the principle of equality, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial unity, and peaceful coexistence,” he explained.
The first woman to serve as Chair of the Indonesian Parliament also highlighted the challenges facing the Pacific region. Puan detailed these challenges including geopolitical tensions, threats of conflict, polarization, slow global economic growth and the impact of global warming.
“This can be done if parliament participates in promoting the habit of dialogue through Parliamentary diplomacy, rather than implementing unilateral policies,” added Puan.
Not only promoting dialogue, Puan also encourages women’s empowerment for inclusive development in the Pacific. According to Puan, gender equality is important to always pay attention to.
“This can be done by increasing women’s participation in politics and in holding public office,” emphasized Puan.
For information, the IPPP meeting is considered relevant to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation between countries in the Pacific and Indonesia.
The 2nd IPPP session had the theme ‘Partnership for Prosperity: Fostering Regional Connectivity and Inclusive Development’. It is hoped that this theme represents the spirit of the Pacific to become a peaceful and stable region.
For him, inclusive development and developing connectivity will not create peace.
Representing the Indonesian Parliament, Puan wants to build a culture of peace while rejecting violence to solve problems.
“Let us work together to advance relations between Pacific countries and Indonesia. “And let us create a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific region,” said Puan.
Blue Economy
The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) invited Pacific countries to maximize the potential for cooperation in the region. Jokowi mentioned three important sectors that need attention, namely climate change, blue economy and human resource development.
“There are three important sectors that currently need joint and immediate handling, the first is related to climate change. “The UN predicts a rise in sea levels of up to 1 meter by 2100,” said Jokowi when speaking at the opening of the Indonesia Pacific Parliamentary Partnership (IPPP) 2024.
According to him, rising water levels are a major threat to the region. Considering that many parts of the region are archipelagic countries, it is necessary to strengthen parliamentary advocacy to mitigate this by adapting policies and increasing cooperation on infrastructure and the environment.
Jokowi said the next focus is related to the blue economy which has great potential for the Pacific region. This sector has the potential to contribute up to 10% of gross domestic product for the region if managed sustainably.
For this reason, Jokowi emphasized that there is encouragement from parliament to increase regional connectivity, as well as collaboration in law enforcement and conservation of marine resources.
Jokowi said the next focus was related to human resource development. According to him, through inclusive education and training, various desired targets in the region can be achieved.
“This includes women and youth to increase productivity and innovation, so it is necessary to formulate regulations from parliament to encourage people-to-people cooperation, knowledge sharing and experience sharing that covers all levels of society,” he said.
Jokowi emphasized that the chairman and deputy chairman of parliament need to continue to develop the Pacific region, especially in maximizing the potential to improve prosperity.
He believes that through parliamentary partnerships, the Pacific region can mutually strengthen the spirit of brotherhood, mutual trust and mutual respect, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“It is important to strengthen this partnership, especially now that we are all facing big challenges from economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions between big powers, the threat of climate change and various crises. “Parliamentary cooperation can be used to share experiences with various best practices in finding joint solutions because parliament is a bridge between people’s aspirations and public policy,” concluded Jokowi. (Par/AT Network)
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