Indonesia Presents National Resilience Concept at 81st UN General Assembly

New York: Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono presented Indonesia’s concept of national resilience at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, on Saturday (Sept. 26).

In his speech, he described national resilience as a foundation for Indonesia to address various challenges while contributing at the regional and global levels.

Sugiono explained that Indonesia has embraced the concept of national resilience for decades. In the 1960s, he said, Indonesia developed the concept to preserve its identity, protect its sovereignty and unity, and sustain development amid various challenges and obstacles.

“At the heart of our resilience are our people,” Sugiono said.

He said a country can be considered resilient when its people are able to meet their basic needs and have opportunities to prosper. Therefore, national resilience is not only about a country’s ability to face threats, but also about the well-being of its people.

Sugiono gave several examples. He said resilience is reflected when families can meet their household needs, farmers are able to produce, workers have decent jobs, and children can learn, grow and have the opportunity to dream about their future.

Resilience and Diversity

“For Indonesia, this means building greater self-sufficiency in food and strengthening energy resilience. Most importantly, it also means investing in the future of our people, ensuring our children receive quality education and ensuring our people have access to basic healthcare services,” Sugiono said.

Beyond food security, energy, education and healthcare, Sugiono linked national resilience to economic strength. He said Indonesia continues to build an economy that can withstand shocks while creating opportunities through job creation, industrial development and increased productivity.

However, according to Sugiono, national resilience is not only about economic strength and meeting basic needs. The ability to manage differences and maintain unity is also an important part of Indonesia’s resilience.

He said Indonesia, with a population of more than 280 million, has learned that diversity is not something to be eliminated.

“Diversity is not something to overcome. It is something to be managed, respected, and turned into a strength,” he said.

Beside that, he also said Indonesia maintains unity through democratic participation, dialogue and respect for differences. “From Aceh to Papua, from Miangas to Rote, Indonesia is one people. Indonesia is one nation,” Sugiono said.

Collective Security

Sugiono also linked national resilience to the promotion and protection of human rights. He said Indonesia continues to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights through national mechanisms and its commitment to international human rights obligations.

For him, national resilience and the fulfillment of human rights go hand in hand. He stressed that human rights are not only about the absence of violence, but also about ensuring that people’s basic needs are met.

“Human rights are not only about the absence of violence, but also about ensuring that people have access to food, education, and healthcare,” he said.

Sugiono then linked the concept of national resilience to the regional and global levels. He said countries that are resilient at home have greater capacity to contribute abroad.

For example, Indonesia with strong food security can make a greater contribution to regional and global food security. Likewise, a more resilient Indonesian energy sector can contribute more to the global energy transition.

Meanwhile, he said a stronger economy would create greater opportunities for cooperation and shared prosperity.

“This is how national resilience becomes collective resilience, and how resilience helps us advance the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs,” he said. (Razaqa Hariz)

Also read: Sugiono Calls for Stronger Multilateral System to Address Global Challenges