Indonesia Calls for UN Reform to Address 21st-Century Global Challenges

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia has called for reform of the United Nations to ensure the organization remains responsive and effective amid evolving global dynamics and challenges in the 21st century.

Speaking at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono said the UN remains indispensable to the multilateral system but must evolve in line with the changing world it serves.

Sugiono said Indonesia continues to believe in the UN’s role in bringing countries together despite differences, easing tensions, preventing conflicts and providing common rules for managing competing interests.

He acknowledged shortcomings within the existing multilateral framework and stressed the need for a system that is more representative, agile and effective in addressing contemporary global challenges.

According to the minister, institutional transformation will take time, but current challenges require immediate action to strengthen collective capacity to withstand crises, respond effectively to humanitarian emergencies and sustain peace, development and international cooperation.

Sugiono also reiterated Indonesia’s call for reform of the international financial architecture, emphasizing that developing countries need greater support and policy space to pursue their development priorities and strengthen resilience.

He said Indonesia’s approach to international engagement draws on its own experience of building national resilience through efforts to improve living standards, preserve unity in diversity and uphold human rights.

Sugiono led Indonesia’s delegation to the 81st UN General Assembly, along with a series of high-level meetings and bilateral engagements in New York.