The UK is committing to help accelerate the global transition to
clean energy and efforts to tackle climate change. , UK Minister of State for
Development and Minister of State for Women and Equalities, has
arrived in Jakarta to strengthen partnerships with Indonesia on
green growth, climate, and the empowerment of women and girls.
The three-day visit to Indonesia (16-19 September) is the
Minister's first visit to Southeast Asia in her new role. It
follows a major speech from the Foreign Secretary earlier today
on the climate and nature crisis and comes as the UK and
Indonesia celebrate the 75th year of their diplomatic
relationship.
While in Indonesia, the Minister will also sign two sets of
bilateral memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Indonesia's
National Planning Agency (Bappenas) on development cooperation
and strategic partnership on critical minerals with the Ministry
for Energy and Mineral Resources.
Based on the principle of mutual respect and partnership, these
MoUs will set out ways of collaborating on Indonesia's
development objectives and on shared priorities such as the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development to address the most pressing
global challenges of our time.
, Minister of State for
Development and Minister of State for Women and Equalities, said:
“The new UK government's development mission is to build genuine
partnerships to help create a world free from poverty, on a
liveable planet.
“Indonesia is a vast country, with a huge population and great
economic potential. Strengthening our relationship with Indonesia
can help us, together, to tackle the climate and nature crisis
while creating sustainable jobs and growth.
“I'll be working with key figures in the Indonesian government to
make progress towards those goals, securing key agreements
between our two countries on development and critical minerals.
“I will also learn how grassroots projects in Indonesia are
empowering women and girls while encouraging sustainable
stewardship of its abundant biodiversity and natural resources.
“Gender equality is the fundamental building block of all healthy
democracies, and this Government is committed to putting women
and girls at the heart of everything we do.”
Minister Dodds is attending a number of bilateral meetings while
in Indonesia, including with Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia,
Vice Foreign Minister Pahala Mansury, Minister for National
Development Planning Suharso Monoarfa and Minister of Forestry
and Environment Siti Nurbaya Bakar. Discussions will focus on
cooperation on climate, green growth, energy transition, the
international development agenda and more.
The Minister will also attend discussions on progressing
Indonesia's Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). The JETP
provides a finance package and technical assistance to support
Indonesia's shift to clean energy and global efforts to tackle
climate change, unlocking new projects, jobs and drive economic
growth.
While currently powered mostly by coal, Indonesia has massive
renewable energy potential. Effective, more sustainable
management of Indonesian forests coupled with helping it shift to
cleaner energy is in everyone's interests. UK technical know-how
and access to finance will help make this happen - tackling the
climate crisis and creating new economic growth in the
process.
The Minister will travel to the South Sulawesi province in East
Indonesia to see how the UK is supporting local climate and
development initiatives. She will engage with local communities
to learn how they protect the environment through ecotourism and
community-led green growth practices, generating local revenues
while supporting long-term education for women and girls.
The visit builds on the new UK government's modernised approach
to development, working hand in hand with diplomacy, resetting
the UK's relationship with the Global South and building
partnerships based on genuine respect.
It complements the climate and nature ambitions set out in
Foreign Secretary David Lammy's major speech at Kew Gardens in
London today, where he announced a Global Clean Power Alliance,
plans to unlock more climate finance, and action to halt the
decline in global biodiversity.
