Wahyu Dwi Anggoro
IDXChannel - British Embassy Jakarta and the United Kingdom (UK) Mission to ASEAN have hosted a Southeast Asia regional launch of a new UK Government approach to global development partnerships.
This approach is set out in a White Paper entitled “International Development in a Contested World: ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change”.
It sets out a re-energised agenda for the UK working with partners, including Southeast Asian countries and ASEAN, to accelerate progress on eliminating extreme poverty, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, and accelerating progress on the SDGs by 2030.
Held in Jakarta on Monday (11/12/2023), the launch was hosted by the British Ambassador to Indonesia Dominic Jermey and UK Ambassador to ASEAN Sarah Tiffin and attended by senior representatives from Indonesian and regional Governments, ASEAN Secretariat, development partners, Non-Governmental Organisations and business.
“Indonesia and Southeast Asia are at the heart of global progress towards sustainable, resilient growth. The UK’s new White Paper on International Development affirms that tackling today’s global challenges and getting the Sustainable Development Goals back on track requires partnership in an integrated approach: there is no way to secure broad-based economic growth without simultaneously tackling climate change and biodiversity loss," British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste Dominic Jermey said in a media release.
"It also emphasises the importance of being innovative and creative – which relies on making sure all voices are heard, and we continue to invest in science, technology and education. The UK looks forward to revitalized collaboration with our partners in Indonesia and across the region," he added.
This initiative speaks to core UK priorities in this region, which include a strong commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, and to broad-based, resilient economic growth.
It will provide a strategic framing for UK development partnerships in the region, which will include five new regional programmes in partnership with ASEAN on a range of thematic priorities for the region, in support of the Sustainable Development Goals which are a priority under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo Pacific.
The White Paper underscores the range of approaches the UK will use to promote sustainable development, encompassing trade, investment, science, research, technology and open societies agendas.
“Central to this new framework is the notion of strong partnerships founded on mutual respect and common values. This is exactly the approach we take with ASEAN and countries in the Southeast Asia region," UK Ambassador to ASEAN Sarah Tiffin said.
"We are committed to doing all we can to work with ASEAN and regional partners to catalyse progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and the vision of inclusive prosperity they set out," she conclude. (WHY)
