ASIATODAY.ID, OSLO – Indonesia and Norway achieved a major breakthrough by becoming a connecting bridge for international development cooperation through holding the 6th Development Leaders Conference (DLC) with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Center for Global Development (CGD) in Oslo, on 24-25 October 2023.
The meeting became a forum for unifying discussions between DAC (Developments Assistance Countries) member countries, most of which are developed countries, and new donor countries, most of which are developing countries.
Indonesia’s leadership in this meeting was a reflection of international recognition of Indonesia’s role and contribution as a new emerging donor.
Indonesia is no longer just a recipient country, now Indonesia has also become a country that can support international development by emphasizing balance and building trust.
“Equality in partnerships, mutual benefits, and dialogue to build trust are the keys to advancing global development cooperation,” said Director General for Information and Public Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Siti Nugraha Maulidiah in her remarks as co -host.
Also attending the meeting was the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Norway, Teuku Faizasyah.
The implementation of the DLC addresses several things, namely increasing the burden on developing countries to pay debt interest which weakens development financing; a shift in the trend of distribution of official development assistance (ODA), from poverty alleviation programs to climate change issues; donor and recipient dialogue builds trust; and the importance of equal partnerships to increase ownership from aid recipient countries.
As a co-host representing new emerging donors and the Global South, Indonesia highlighted the importance of intensifying constructive dialogue between countries, strengthening global partnerships, and the need for innovation in development funding.
Indonesia also sees the need to strengthen the participation of emerging donors and developing countries receiving grants to provide a balanced perspective.
In the 6th DLC, Indonesia encouraged increasing the involvement of new emerging donors and emerging markets to enrich discussions from the perspective of developing countries.
Closing his statement, Director General Nining said that cooperation was needed from various parties in the global development agenda to overcome disruption caused by regional political contestation and build collective resilience in facing crises in various fields.
DLC is a collective discussion forum for international development actors responding to global challenges. The DLC was attended by representatives of development cooperation agencies, international funding institutions, international organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and think tanks.
Indonesia and Norway are in a unique position to provide leadership for dialogue between donor countries. Norway as a DAC member provides the perspective of a traditional donor country while Indonesia as a new donor country can bring the views of developing countries and donor recipient countries in establishing balanced development cooperation.
In the session “Opportunities and Challenges on Trilateral Cooperation”, the Indonesian Delegation explained Indonesia’s role in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through South-South and Triangular Cooperation (KSST), emphasizing:
1. The importance of demand driven, solidarity, equality in partnerships, country ownership, and involvement of key actors at the local level;
2. The importance of dialogue and local wisdom in implementing international development cooperation to increase the success and sustainability of programs;
3. SSTC mobilizes financial, expertise and technological support for developing and least developed countries;
4. SSTC plays an important role in advancing multi-party cooperation that can create inclusive cooperation.
As co-host, Indonesia will host the 7th DLC which is planned to be held in Bali, 12-13 June 2024. At this meeting, Indonesia will encourage a more balanced thematic discussion by promoting the interests of developing countries or the Global South.
Indonesia has played an active role in the arena of international development cooperation since the early days of independence.
The Asia-Africa Conference in 1955 became the foundation for development cooperation between developing countries, or what is now known as South-South Cooperation (SSC). (AT Network)
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