Historic South-to-South Agreement Gives Birth to New Hope, IAF and HLF-MSP in Bali End Brilliantly
Denpasar – The 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) and the High-Level Forum on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (HLF-MSP) 2024 held on the Island of the Gods reached its final round with a new historical record in South-South cooperation. A number of important agreements were made, marking a new chapter in Indonesia-Africa relations.
One of the important points agreed upon was strengthening economic cooperation. Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (PPN/Bappenas) Suharso Monoarfa emphasized that transformative steps and stronger international cooperation are needed for South-South countries to realize the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda.
“This step is because South-South countries face major challenges, such as unstable economic growth, infrastructure deficit, disruption of global supply chains, the return of protectionist policies that hinder and erode global trust in global institutions,” said Suharso at the High-Level Plenary Session of the High-Level Forum on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (HLF MSP) 2024 entitled “Building Bridges: Unlocking the Full Potential of the Global South through Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships.
World Trade Organization research, he continued, shows a scenario where the world is divided into two different trading blocks, which could result in a 5 percent decline in global gross domestic product and result in fragmentation of world trade.
“The world cannot afford fragmentation. Facing the current turbulent period is very challenging. Therefore, transformative steps and stronger international cooperation are increasingly important to push the agenda of Sustainable Development Goals 2030,” said Minister Suharso.
Meanwhile, the 2024 HLF MSP also discussed multi-stakeholder partnership solutions as a bridge between North-South and South-South, to unlock the potential of Southern countries to the maximum.
Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao appreciated Indonesia’s leadership in the HLF MSP which raised important issues for developing countries and the Global South, as Indonesia did at the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955.
“The Bandung Conference introduced important principles for South-South cooperation, such as respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful settlement of disputes, and the universal application of international law,” Xanana said.
According to him, this high-level plenary session continues Indonesia’s tradition of building solidarity between Southern countries and supporting multi-stakeholder partnerships,
