CARICOM asks Indonesia to be ally in advocacy against blacklisting

A new Indonesian envoy was on Friday accredited by CARICOM, a commitment that Secretary-General Irwin La Roque is hoping will encourage the nation to join in advocacy against the blacklisting of CARICOM states.

The accreditation was done at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, where La Roque accepted the letters of credence of Ambassador Julang Pujianto.

According to a CARICOM release, the ceremony highlighted opportunities for deeper collaborations in trade, sustainable development, technical assistance, and cooperation in multilateral systems such as the United Nations and the G20.

Additionally, the release said that La Roque also requested Indonesia’s advocacy in the G20 on a variety of issues, but blacklisting in particular, which he noted has been causing the region “major reputational damage and disruptive controls” on financial transactions.

La Roque told Pujianto that CARICOM views its link with Indonesia as important, and said that the CARICOM region looks forward to cooperating with international nations on issues such as financing for development, climate change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He also made note that the region has been advocating for international policies that allow for a balanced approach in the provision of financing for Small-Island and low-lying coastal Developing States (SIDS), in order to build economic and environmental resilience.

Meanwhile, the Ambassador noted that CARICOM and ASEAN countries have fertile ground to explore cooperation in trade and affairs. In the way of standing collaborations, Pujianto said that Indonesia has offered at least 20 programmmes for technical assistance and capacity building for South American and Caribbean countries, with 45 participants from eight Member States having benefitted. However, the Ambassador expressed that his government is intent on increasing that number.

Noting that his accreditation was a “valuable opportunity to nurture cooperation between the territories, he extended an invite to businesses to participate in Trade Expo Indonesia in Jakarta from October 16-20. He also noted that prior to that, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry will organise the Indonesia-Latin American and Caribbean (Ina-Latamcar) Business Forum from October 13-15, 2019, in which businesses are also welcomed to participate.