LAKEWOOD, Washington — In 2022, Indonesia will hold the presidency for G20, an assembly of the top 20 global economies after the financial crisis struck Asia in 1999. The G20’s goals revolve around aid toward international economic health. As key supporters to countries who had suffered the financial crisis in 1999 and the U.S. 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) that affected the international economy, G20 has helped countries survive. In Indonesia’s G20 presidency, the country hopes to utilize this power to aid future spikes in COVID-19, as well as to encourage global economic health for countries suffering economically due to the pandemic. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has made his intentions clear to three main categories his country wants to remain focused on throughout the 2022 presidency. Widodo publicly announced the country’s intentions of aiding global health architecture, economic and digital transformation and energy transition in Indonesia’s G20 presidency against COVID-19.
Global Health Architecture
Global health systems have undergone testing countless times during the pandemic, raising awareness for countries to build up the resilience of their health systems to prevent sickness and unnecessary death. Between January 2020 and early February 2022, Indonesia has reported 144,958 lives lost to COVID-19. In Indonesia’s G20 presidency against COVID-19, the country’s goal to utilize their leadership will focus on pandemic preparedness through global pooling resources and unifying global health protocol quality.
Before Indonesia could push through goals in the 2022 Summit that occurred in January. However, one of the country’s short-term goals for the pandemic is to use G20 to assist an aspiring target of vaccinating 70% of the entire population.
Economic and Digital Transformation
Economic and digital transformation is another column in the agenda for Indonesia’s presidency against COVID-19. Indonesia intends to spearhead development in digital economic value to increase recovery for countries suffering financial systems because of COVID-19. A primary focus for Indonesia’s G20 presidency is supporting the growth of financial inclusion of “MSMEs (micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises).” Digital transformation can prevent further exposure of vulnerable people to COVID-19 by shifting financial systems to digital reliance. Digital transformation will help protect people and keep economies flourishing regardless of social distancing and lockdowns.
Intentions of Indonesia’s G20 presidency will also focus on improving digital literacy, new sources of financial growth for countries through digitalization and an improvement of global data governance.
Energy Transition
The third agenda in Indonesia’s G20 presidency against COVID-19 is energy transition. In this goal of the country’s presidency, strengthening global sustainable energy is a top priority. This top priority includes improved access to energy for clean cooking and electricity and intentions of “viable clean technologies implementation” for small island countries.
One of the most significant goals for Indonesia’s G20 presidency is to successfully attain a global deal that will assist the acceleration of energy transition. If the energy transition improves for areas in countries that struggle with energy sustainability, aid through global deals can improve the lives of those within poverty or financial loss due to COVID-19.
G20’s 2022 Summit
President Joko Widodo expressed his immense optimism in Indonesia’s leadership to combat any spikes in the pandemic. Global health architecture, economic and digital transformation and energy transition are only three of many goals that Indonesia’s G20 presidency has for its term leading the organization. The 2022 Summit may bring Indonesia’s goals to fruition as the summit will permit economic global deals to take place while allowing any economic actors to share their ideas and goals for global economic health and growth.
For many facing the hardships of COVID-19, looking toward the future with optimism may be difficult. It is the positive goals of Indonesia’s G20 presidency and President Widodo that may inspire other leaders and citizens to make efforts in improving the global economy and health.
– Michelanie Allcock
Photo: Flickr