The vanguard of the Global South

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Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta ● Sat, September 23, 2023 In her speeches and
press statements at the Sept. 19-26 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New
York, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has reasserted President Joko “Jokowi" Widodo’s
confidence that Indonesia has and will always act as a nonconfrontational and moderate
champion of developing nations, now popularly known as the Global South. Speaking at the
plenary session of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Retno said the current world
order was no longer fit to provide equal opportunities to the Global South. As a result, the
world is not likely to meet the SDGs by 2030. As reported by The Jakarta Post from New York,
Indonesia’s diplomacy at the UNGA is geared toward strengthening the voice of the Global
South.

This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "The vanguard of the Global South
". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2023/09/23/the-vanguard-of-the-global-
south.html.

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Retno suggested that developing nations are the most affected by ineffective institutions and are
the most prone to debt crises as they face unfulfilled funding pledges from developed countries.

This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "The vanguard of the Global South
". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2023/09/23/the-vanguard-of-the-global-
south.html.

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This year's central theme is "Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action
on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress
and sustainability for all". Even with her convincing performance at the podium of the world's
most crucial multilateral session, Retno could hardly make an impact. President Jokowi should
have gone himself in order to achieve the maximum impact. His presence at the UNGA session
and at bilateral talks with global leaders is crucial if he aims to play the role of the vanguard of
the Global South, which he proclaimed during his speech at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg
last month. Jokowi's quest for a larger global role for Indonesia is unsurprising, after he presided
over the Group of 20 in 2022 and has been at the helm of ASEAN this year. He will have another
chance to address next year’s UNGA session, a month before he leaves office. The President's
focus on developing countries is a natural part of Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy
doctrine and shows the country’s commitment as cofounder of the Non-Aligned Movement
(NAM), which was established in 1961 to protect developing nations from the impacts of the Cold
War.

This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "The vanguard of the Global South
". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2023/09/23/the-vanguard-of-the-global-
south.html.

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