Highlights of the 2nd Day of G20 Summit in Bali

The 2nd day of the G20 Summit in Bali was successfully held on Wednesday, 16 November 2022. At the beginning of the day, Indonesian President Joko Widodo accompanied by Minister of Forestry and Environment Siti Nurbaya Abubakar invited all the delegates and guests to the Great Forest Park (Taman Hutan Raya) in Ngurah Rai Area, Badung. On this occasion, Siti received a lot of positive feedback from many world leaders.

President of France, Emmanuel Macron, praised the mangrove revitalization that had been carried out by the Indonesian government in the Great Forest Park. "It's impressive and remarkable. This is a solid step toward the realization of the Paris Climate Accords,” said Siti, repeating Macron's words.

Appreciation for the existence of Tahura was also conveyed by the Prime Minister of The Netherlands, Mark Rutte. According to Siti, Rutte said that Indonesia had started a great step. “This is great. Indonesia has started well. President Jokowi's ideas are great," said Siti, quitting Rutte.

The president of The United States, Joe Biden, also expressed his regards on the mangrove revitalization in Tahura. “(the revitalization of Tahura Ngurah Rai) is an outstanding move. A remarkable true step. Impressive,” said Siti, imitating what President Biden had said.

The planting of mangroves by President Jokowi and the delegates of G20 in Tahura was one of the agendas of the G20 Summit 2022. This activity showed the commitment and concern of the Indonesian government toward environmental conservation.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo invited all the leaders of the G20 countries and international organizations to visit the Ngurah Rai Grand Forest Park (Tahura) in Denpasar City, Bali Province, on Wednesday, 16 November 2022. On that occasion, the President and G20 leaders carried out a joint mangrove tree planting activity and went around seeing various species of mangroves in Tahura.

Photo: Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau

Before taking a walk and planting mangroves around Tahura with the G20 country member leaders, President Jokowi also made time to accompany worldwide journalists to nestle at the VVIP shelter. At the Wantilan Hall, Jokowi also spoke with the journalists. To Alex, a journalist from The United States, Jokowi provided a brief explanation about mangroves and Tahura.

"We have 33 species (of mangroves) here," said President Jokowi.

Media officials representing G20 countries said they were happy because they could have direct conversations with President Jokowi without strict protocol rules. One of them was Athi Geleba from South Africa who was impressed with President Jokowi's hospitality.

"We were sitting in the sun and he invited us to a cooler part under the shades. He also offered us drinks and he was very friendly (to us), very accessible," Athi said.

Photo: Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau

After that, Jokowi invited the journalists to go around Tahura and see the mangroves. The President introduced the mangrove species in the nursery area, including Rhizopora apiculata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, and Celiops tagal.

"These seedlings are 3 to 6 months old," said the President while showing a number of mangrove seedlings. "We started planting mangroves here in 1996," he added.

The activity then continued with President Joko Widodo encouraging digital transformation to accelerate global recovery in the third session of the G20 Summit, which was held at the Apurva Kempinski Hotel in Badung Regency.

According to him, the digital economy is the key to the future of the economy as a pillar of resilience during the pandemic, contributing 15.5 percent of global GDP, and opening up opportunities for small communities to become part of global supply chains.

"As the President of the G20, Indonesia is pushing for digital transformation to accelerate global recovery, and, under the Indonesian Presidency, the digital economy working group has started running. This year, the G20 is also encouraging the development of potential startups through a digital innovation network," said the President.

The President explained that there are three things that must be the focus. First, the equality of digital access. According to him, 2,9 billion people in the world are still not connected to the internet, including 73 percent of the population of less developed countries.

"Digital infrastructure is also not evenly distributed, as 390 million people live in areas without wireless internet. We must correct this inequality immediately. The G20 must be able to mobilize investment to build a digital infrastructure that is affordable for all," added the President.

Second, digital literacy. According to Jokowi, the digital value is not just an option, but a necessity. Digital literacy, he continued, must reach all layers of people in order to participate in the future economy.

"The G20 must be able to mobilize cooperation to strengthen digital capacity for developing countries," said the President.

Third, a secure digital environment. Hoaxes and cyberbullying can break the unity and threaten democracy. The President views that data leaks caused by cyber crimes have the potential to cause economic losses of up to 5 trillion USD by 2024.

"For that, digital security and privacy protection must be guaranteed. The G20 must be able to build trust in the digital sector, including through global digital governance," said the President.

Jokowi also emphasized that all countries must work together to ensure the benefits of digital can be experienced equally. "I invite Your Majesty's contribution for a secure, inclusive, and beneficial digital future for all," continued The President.

At the end of his speech, President Jokowi reiterated the message he conveyed at the opening of the G20 Summit on the previous day. The president asked for the war to be ceased because it would only make the people miserable.

Photo: Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau

"Stop the war. I repeat, stop the war. A lot is at stake. Many things are at stake. War will only afflict the people. World economic recovery will not happen if the situation does not improve. As leaders, we all have a responsibility to ensure a conducive global situation for the future of the world," he said.

At the end of the event, President Joko Widodo officially closed the G20 Summit by passing the presidency to India through a symbolic hammer offering to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "It is an honor for Indonesia to lead the G20 for the past year. Our presidency began with the hope of uniting common intentions in realizing an inclusive world recovery from the pandemic," said the President.

As the G20 presidency, Indonesia has sought the best solutions during its one year of leadership in the midst of new challenges that have emerged. The President is grateful that the G20 Indonesia has produced a document in the form of the Declaration of the G20 Bali Leaders.

"Praise be to God, today we were able to adopt and ratify the G20 Bali Leaders Declaration. This is the first declaration that can be realized since February 2022. I express my highest appreciation to all those present who have given their flexibility so that the declaration can be agreed upon and ratified," said the President.

"I also want to express my highest appreciation to all working groups and engagement groups for their dedication, thought-provoking contribution, and other contributions to the presidency of the G20 Indonesia," said the President.

In addition to the declaration, the Indonesian presidency also produced concrete deliverables containing a list of G20 member countries' cooperation projects and invitations. According to President Jokowi, this cooperation project will help bring the G20's work closer to the people.

"Ensuring that the G20 is beneficial not only for its members, but also for the world, and especially developing countries. Let us recover together, recover stronger," said the President.