Opening Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia on the 13th ASEAN-UN Summit at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Jakarta, September 7, 2023
His Excellency General Secretary of the United Nations Antonio Guterres,
His Majesty, Excellencies ASEAN Leaders,
The preamble to the ASEAN and UN charters both start with ‘We, the peoples’, meaning that the people must continue to be our priority. And, in the midst of increasingly complex global challenges, wars and conflicts, food crises, energy crises, financial crises and natural disasters, it is the people who are affected the most.
To deal with this, it requires coordinated joint action, both at the global level which is carried out by the UN and at the Indo-Pacific regional level which is carried out by the ASEAN. However, we must honestly say that the effectiveness of ASEAN and the UN’s work is often hampered by geopolitical dynamics which ultimately result in the fading of the spirit of cooperation, the spirit of multilateralism, which in the end is replaced by rule by the strong. The ASEAN and the UN have a clear choice to continue to voice respect for international law as a basis for interaction between nations and a paradigm of an inclusive collaboration.
Let us together carry out development agenda that is more just for developing countries, including the right to progress and to prosper. We must promote global governance reform so that it remains fit for purpose and fit for its time. Let’s strengthen cooperation between the ASEAN and the UN for the betterment of the people of the world. Thank you.
I hereby declare the 13th ASEAN-United Nations Summit open.
Next, I invite His Excellency Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, to deliver his opening remarks.
His Excellency, the floor is yours.
(EST/MUR)