​Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi delivered a keynote address on the second day of the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum (IISF), Friday, September 6 2024. In her speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the importance of increasing investment in the clean energy sector as a driver of economic growth. sustainable.

“Renewable energy is the energy of the future. Energy is not just a commodity, but a driver of economic growth. "The world is racing to shift to a low-carbon economy and Indonesia wants to be part of that," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, responding to a Bloomberg report last year about the increasing number of investments in clean energy globally.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that sustainable development is the key to prosperity in the future. Indonesia continues to use diplomacy to encourage sustainable efforts and global cooperation to achieve the SDGs and implement the Paris Agreement. "With changes in the global economy, diplomacy has an important role in realizing a sustainable future," stressed Retno.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized three main priorities that must be met for a sustainable future.

First, invest and build green energy.

This requires significant technological and funding support, including the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), which Indonesia launched during the G20 Presidency in 2022, and the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) of which Indonesia is one of the initiators.

“From all these initiatives, Indonesia's message is very clear. We must ensure that green technology becomes a public good. "I hope that through IISF, we can work closely with the private sector to ensure investment for the development of affordable green technology," he stressed.

Second, exploiting the huge potential of the blue economy.

According to estimates, the blue economy can generate more than USD 1.5 trillion and create around 30 million jobs per year. To unlock the potential of the blue economy, Indonesia has launched the Blue Economy Roadmap 2023-2045, which aims to develop key sectors such as aquaculture and the downstream fisheries industry, to ensure economic growth is in line with marine conservation efforts.

Third, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized focusing on carbon absorption.

“As the third largest tropical rainforest country in the world, Indonesia has the capacity to absorb large amounts of emissions. "With the lowest deforestation rate in the last 20 years, we can be sure that Indonesia is on the right track," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that Indonesia had ratified a long-term strategy for low carbon and climate resilience in 2050 as well as a roadmap to achieve the target of net zero emissions. in 2060 or sooner.

In closing, Foreign Minister Retno reiterated that all parties play an important role in efforts towards a low-carbon economy and ensured Indonesia's commitment to strengthening collaboration in order to realize a sustainable future.

IISF 2024 was held at the Jakarta Convention Center from 5 to 6 September 2024 and was attended by thousands of people from government, private sector, philanthropy, NGOs, experts and academics from within and outside the country. IISF is a platform for stakeholders to collaborate and exchange best practices in supporting decarbonization and realizing sustainable growth.

(SOURCE)