Bali, 31 August 2022
Very good morning,
Excellencies, Distinguished Heads of Delegation, Esteemed Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen
Welcome to Indonesia. It is indeed my honor to host this G20 Joint Environment and Climate Ministers' Meeting in this Island of Gods, Bali. Let me take this opportunity to convey my highest appreciation to you all. Your presence today reflects your support to our G20 Presidency and your friendship to the people of Indonesia. It also reflects your commitment to G20 to make it relevant and matters.
Beyond stunning natural beauty and magical temples, Bali has long been an example of unity in diversity, living side-by-side in peace and harmony with our brothers and sisters from different cultures and religions. This is our Indonesian experience, as the old wisdom says that we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.
Now, it is high time that we incorporate this spirit into our discussion to address various environmental and climate issues we are confronting. It is our duty to make every effort to reap tangible results towards sustainable global recovery.
I sincerely hope that from our discussion today, we will find ways to move forward to a higher level.
With that said, with your indulgence, today's meeting will run as follows:
- Session-1 will focus on issues to Achieve Environment Objective towards Sustainable Recovery. It is then followed by the Adoption of the G20 Joint Environment and Climate Communique.
- Session-2 will focus on Enhancing and Mobilizing Efforts towards Climate Sustainability.
Before we start our session, let me first share a few thoughts and perspectives to frame our discussion.
Excellencies, Distinguished Heads of Delegation, Esteemed Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Global environmental problems require global solutions. Even as we are gathered on this beautiful island, we cannot hide from the fact that the world is facing increasingly compounding challenges, such as population growth, water crisis, resource scarcity, energy insecurity, as well as environmental depredation.
And, as if those are not enough, we know that climate change could become an amplifier and multiplier of the crisis. It would not only wipe out all development progress that has been achieved over the past decades, particularly in emerging economies, but it would also propel us over an environmental tipping point into uncharted territory where no future will be sustainable.
There is no one single country that is not adversely affected in one way or another, and we cannot solve those global environmental problems alone. Therefore, we all have the responsibility to safeguard environmental multilateralism to make it work.
Environmental multilateralism is the only mechanism where all countries, regardless of their size and wealth, stand on equal footing and equal treatment. The voices of all countries, North and South, developed and developing, must be heard.
For that reason, in this auspicious opportunity, Indonesia Presidency has invited, for the first time, our brothers and sisters, representatives from CARICOM, the African Union as well as NEPAD to attend this important meeting. Their concerns and interests should matter. Each and every country can contribute to the solution, in one way or another.
Environmental multilateralism is also the only way to effectively coordinate efforts to tackle global challenges. In this light, let us do our best to strengthen strategic trust and mutual respect, since multilateralism can only deliver when there is trust among us. Hence, it is also our responsibility to be part of the solution. We build bridges, not walls, and we promote common interests, not self-interests.
Excellencies, Distinguished Heads of Delegation, Esteemed Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Collective actions and global partnership are imperative if we are to tackle global environmental challenges and to lead the world towards sustainable recovery.
High hope is now on our shoulders, and we cannot fail. G20 needs to be relevant to the world at large, not only to its members.
I hope these perspectives could provide some enrichment for our endeavor, and I look forward to having a progressive and productive discussion with you all today.
Thank you.
Minister of Environment and Forestry
Republic of Indonesia
Dr. Siti Nurbaya
