The G20 Sherpa meeting has been held in Indonesia on 7-8 December 2021. The success of the Sherpa track is proof that Indonesia is able to organize events during a pandemic, of course in accordance with health protocols.
The Indonesian government has been appointed as the G20 presidency so that this event will be held in our country. The presidency is an honor because it demonstrates Indonesia’s capability as a person in charge. To start the G20, it will start with the Sherpa track and finance track.
Sherpa track will be held in Jakarta on 7-8 December 2021 in Jakarta. At this event, it was held in a hybrid manner, aka some participants came in person and some could only go online. Not all G20 participating countries came for pandemic reasons. Although not all of them came, it did not reduce the success of the event.
At the Sherpa track meeting, Indonesia will present the priority agenda that is the focus of the G20 Indonesia Presidency. The theme of the G20 will be “recover together, recover stronger”. Through this theme, Indonesia invites the whole world to come together to achieve a stronger and more sustainable recovery.
The Sherpa track is a crucial event because it opens the door to the success of the G20 which will be held in Indonesia next year. The holding of the G20 Sherpa also proves that Indonesia is capable of organizing an event as big as the G20, because not all countries are trusted to hold the presidency.
When Indonesia smoothly organizes the G20 Sherpa, it also proves the government’s superiority in organizing an event during the pandemic. The G20 is very important and cannot be postponed, even though there is a pandemic, because it is a unifying event for the participating countries, so that mutually beneficial collaboration is created.
The G20 Sherpa was held in Jakarta because it was relatively safe in the capital city, namely PPKM level 1 and no longer a red zone status. Events during the pandemic can already be done because the majority have been vaccinated so that it minimizes the risk. Rest assured that the vaccine will protect all participants as well as the organizers.
Indeed, during a pandemic there is concern but it can be suppressed, because there are strict health protocols. The protocol must be adhered to, not only by the Sherpa G20 participants but also by the event committee. Everyone is required to wear a full mask and maintain a distance, so that the participants’ seats are given a gap so they don’t get too close together.
Everyone present at the Sherpa G20 is also required to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer. Before being visited by participants, the room is also sterilized first. The microphone is also coated to prevent droplets from getting in. Strict protocols are mandatory, so that everyone is healthy without corona.
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto stated that the G20 participants visited the center of Indonesia’s digital industry 4.0 (PIDI 4.0), which is one of the showcasing of Indonesia’s concrete initiatives in encouraging the digital industry and realizing industrial digitization.
In a sense, other countries that are participants in the G20 will see Indonesia’s progress in the digital field. Even though it is still a developing country, our country has advanced in the internet era and always follows technological developments.
Indonesia accepted the challenge to become the G20 presidency even though it was still in the pandemic period because of the importance of this event. Precisely in the era of the pandemic, all parties must work together to overcome the effects, so that collaboration is created.
The G20 Sherpa which will be held in Jakarta, 7-8 December 2021 is the start of a series of G20 2022 events. Indonesia becomes the G20 presidency and is the first developing country to be trusted to hold it. When the Sherpa track is successful, it shows the expertise of the Indonesian government in holding big events during the pandemic.
Yogi Permana, the author is an observer of international issues
