ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia held the 8th Plenary Meeting of the Indonesia-United Nations Consultative Forum (IUNCF), Tuesday (31/10/2023).
“Transparent and inclusive communication is needed so that UN agency programs are aligned with the priorities of the Indonesian Government,” said Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in her opening speech delivered pre-recorded.
On this occasion, Foreign Minister Retno also expressed her concern about the situation in Gaza and encouraged the UN Security Council to take immediate action.
The 8th IUNCF Plenary was chaired by the Director General of Multilateral Cooperation and the UN Resident Coordinator as Co-Chairs.
The plenary activity consisted of two sessions, namely the report session for Working Group I on Information Sharing and Cooperation Development (WG I) and Working Group II on Administration (WG II), and the Thematic Discussion session.
In 2023, two WG I meetings will be held to discuss cooperation between the Indonesian Government and the UN within the framework of Indonesia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and cooperation in the context of cultural protection.
Meanwhile, the WG II meeting discussed a number of administrative issues such as the Host Country Agreement (HCA), consular facilities, taxation and customs, as well as technical aspects of diplomatic vehicles.
In the second session, the forum discussed the theme “Multilateralism in Achieving Blue Agenda’s Commitment,” which was relevant to be discussed after the 1st High Level Meeting of the AIS Forum was held in Bali, 11 October 2023.
UN RC said that as the largest archipelagic country in the world, Indonesia has great potential to lead discussions on the Blue Agenda at the global level. This session also emphasized that multilateralism is a key approach in advancing this issue, which also requires close cooperation between Indonesia and the UN.
In the discussion session, the Plenary participants consisting of representatives of Ministries/Agencies and UN Agencies further agreed on the importance of intensifying routine coordination between the Indonesian Government – the UN, as well as strengthening UN cooperation with the ASEAN Secretariat.
This year marks a decade since the IUNCF was first held in 2013. In the past ten years, the IUNCF has played an important role as a regular consultation forum that strengthens coordination between Indonesian Ministries/Agencies and UN Agencies. (AT Network)
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