President Jokowi Affirms Rights to Life, Development for People of Gaza at APEC Summit Retreat
At the APEC Economic Leaders Retreat at the Mosconce Center, San Francisco, United States, on Friday, November 17, 2023, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo firmly criticized the conditions affecting the people in Gaza. He gave the statement that currently, the right to life for the people of Gaza is not respected, let alone the right to development.
“Before we start our topic about inclusive development, let’s take a moment to think about the people in Gaza. Never mind development, currently their right to life is not respected,” stressed the President.
Therefore, President Jokowi urged APEC leaders to act to stop the war, implement ceasefire immediately, and ensure that humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza can be delivered without obstacles.
Furthermore, regarding inclusive development, President Jokowi said that APEC needs to prioritize the realization of opportunities and inclusive and resilient economic growth.
“The Asia Pacific region has great potential, 62 percent of global GDP (gross domestic product) and 48 percent of world trade come from APEC, and in the midst of an uncertain world situation, APEC needs to prioritize the realization of opportunities and inclusive and resilient economic growth that can be achieved together,” he said.
To achieve this, President Jokowi voiced a number of things, the first of which is the need for a spirit of collaboration. He expressed his opinion that togetherness and strategic trust are needed to realize the vision of APEC 2040.
“This is the key to maintaining APEC’s relevance as the premier economic forum in the region,” he added.
Second, the Head of State said that regional economic resilience needs to be strengthened in order to maintain resilience in the global supply chain. He continued that the dependence and dominance of global supply chains on a number of economies must be reduced.
“Developing countries must play a role and participate in the global supply chain, including through downstreaming, to support developing countries in making development leaps,” he continued.
Third, in terms of utilizing digital technology in the region, President Jokowi said that APEC must work together to bridge the digital gap through policy synergy and reinforcement of infrastructure that can be used to encourage inclusive economic growth, which includes the integration of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) into digital ecosystem.
“The integration of MSMEs into digital ecosystem is very important to expand the market and strengthen the resilience of MSMEs, as the economic support of most APEC economies,” he said.
Furthermore, President Jokowi emphasized that currently Indonesia is continuing to boost the utilization of digital technology. He said that this utilization is carried out for both the development of the creative economy and the development of MSMEs, with a digitalization target of 30 million MSMEs by 2024.
On this occasion, the President also expressed his appreciation for APEC’s support for Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2023.
“I am sure that APEC and ASEAN can continue to collaborate to create a center for world growth,” he said.
Also joining President Jokowi during the meeting was Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi. (Presidential Secretariat’s Information, Media, and Press Bureau/AIT) (TM/LW)
