Minister for the Indo-Pacific visits Indonesia with a
focus on green growth, later traveling on to Timor-Leste.
- New partnership to create opportunities for UK firms and
support Indonesia's sustainable development, Indo-Pacific
Minister announced on visit to Jakarta
- Visit will advance discussions on a UK-Indonesia Strategic
Partnership, with engagements focused on economic growth, climate
and digital cooperation
- Minister West will then travel to Timor-Leste to see UK
health and education development partnerships in action
Leading British engineering firms are set to benefit from a new
UK-Indonesia sustainable infrastructure partnership, announced by
Indo-Pacific Minister in Jakarta today (20
January).
The initiative will open up new opportunities for companies
including Arup, Mott McDonald and PwC to design and deliver
projects in Indonesia, boosting British business while helping
Indonesia reach its net zero goals.
As well as providing a platform for investment, the partnership
will ensure new projects incorporate environmental best practice
to help decarbonise the sector, with infrastructure estimated by
the World Economic Forum to account for around 40% of global
emissions. It builds on previous wins for UK infrastructure firms
in Indonesia, with Mott McDonald and Crossrail International
supporting the design and delivery of Jakarta's Mass Rapid
Transit and Light Rapid Transit railway systems.
The new partnership is an example of the UK and Indonesia's
ambition to deepen mutually beneficial collaboration under a new
Strategic Partnership, which Prime Minister and President Prabowo Subianto
have agreed to sign in 2025. This will include a formal agreement
focused on secure and sustainable economic growth, designed to
deliver the UK government's Plan for Change as
well as the Indonesian government's target of 8 percent annual
growth.
Climate and nature will also be a focus during the Minister's
three-day visit to Indonesia, following commitments by Prime
Minister Starmer and Foreign Secretary to restore UK global leadership
on climate. She will discuss progress under the UK-Indonesia Just
Energy Transition Partnership and launch new Blue Planet Fund and
Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transition (COAST)
programmes, supporting vulnerable coastal communities to adapt to
the impacts of the climate crisis.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Minister West said:
The UK and Indonesia are proving that strong economic growth does
not need to come with higher emissions.
Investing in green infrastructure and the energy transition is
not just vital for our planet - it will make sure our economies
are fit for the future.
And our new Strategic Partnership will enable us to do even more
together for the security and prosperity of our people.
While in Jakarta, the Minister will agree a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Minister for Digital Communications
Meutya Hafid, which will provide a foundation for increased
cooperation on areas from emerging technologies and AI to
combating online disinformation. She will also meet permanent
representatives to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), as the UK enters its fourth year as an ASEAN Dialogue
Partner.
The Minister will then travel to Timor-Leste, reaffirming UK
support for the country's application to join ASEAN. While there
she will see how climate, health and education programmes are
supporting stable, long-term development in partnership with
communities in Timor-Leste, as well as discuss issues of regional
and global security including combating irregular migration.
Notes to editors
- The UK government-supported infrastructure partnership, known
as “MELAJU”, will increase cooperation across four areas: policy
and regulatory development; project development and delivery;
finance and investment mobilisation; and collaboration and
partnership. In addition to supporting new commercial
opportunities it will deliver technical and development
assistance worth £26 million through the UK's Future Cities
Infrastructure Programme (FCIP) and the Green Cities and
Infrastructure Programme (GCIP).
- On climate, the Minister will launch two programmes:
- The Blue Planet Fund Indonesia Country Plan, with the
twin aims of protecting coastal environments and reducing
poverty;
- Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transition
(COAST) Programme Indonesia, part of the wider Blue Planet
Fund, which will provide technical support and project
funding worth £18m to protect ocean habitats and resources
including promoting sustainable fishing.
