TIMES BENGKULU, JAKARTA – "We must maintain the Pacific as a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region," declared Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi during the opening of the Indonesia Pacific Forum for Development (IPFD) in Bali, Wednesday (7/12/2022) morning.

The Forum, which was attended by 17 Pacific countries and territories, 4 multilateral organizations, and 5 invited countries, highlighted Indonesia's commitment to strengthen its engagement in the Pacific, including through technical and development cooperation. 

Among those present were Premier of Niue and 7 ministers from Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and the Kingdom of Tonga.

With the vision of Pacific Elevation, Indonesia consistently continues to voice out the challenges and concerns of Pacific communities. 

"When Indonesia talks about Pacific Elevation, it is not only about elevating Indonesia’s engagement with the Pacific," FM Marsudi stated, "It is also about working together as part of the Pacific, to elevate the livelihoods of communities in this region."

The participants of the Forum welcomed Indonesia's approach and commitment towards the development cooperation in the Pacific, especially in accelerating the post-pandemic economic recovery. 

The areas of cooperation discussed during the Forum included climate change; disaster mitigation; food, health, and energy security; connectivity; human resource development; and women empowerment.

During Indonesia's presidency in the G20, Indonesia highlighted the concerns of small island nations in the Pacific, and pushed for the establishment of concrete G20 deliverables dedicated to Pacific countries. 

There are at least 10 projects that Pacific countries can take advantage of in the context of the G20, 2 of which are Indonesian initiatives.

IPFD also included a Pacific Business Engagement, which featured the Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste as well as three workshops on the topics of disaster risk reduction; capacity building for MSMEs; and women empowerment.

A part of a series meeting to cap of what has been a busy year for Indonesia in the international scene, IPFD took place back-to-back-to back with the Archipelagic and Island States Forum (AIS Forum) Meeting, the 15th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), and the International Conference on Afghan Women's Education. (*)