Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama called on the Group of 20 (G20) nations to take charge and implement solutions in order to overcome challenges encountered in the world.
While delivering his statement at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, the Prime Minister said the G20 must take the lead, as it is the indispensable actor for overcoming the challenges we are facing.
"It is indispensable because it has the resources, the infrastructure, the expertise and the convening power to ensure that we take meaningful actions.
"You must jealously advance the rules-based order and insist on strategic collaboration. As a forum that commands 80% of the global economy and its resources, you cannot fail in this indispensable actor for overcoming the challenges we are facing."
In his contribution on Strengthening Multilateralism, Prime Minister Bainimarama added that multilateralism remains key to overcoming challenges in health, food security, governance, crime and environment—including climate change.
"Multilateral action is not at odds with national sovereignty. We do not cede our national sovereignty when we act in concert with other nations, on the contrary, by willingly working with other nations to solve vexing problems, we strengthen our sovereignty. It is the basis of our international system."
Speaking in his capacity as chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Prime Minister Bainimarama said that as a region, we are committed to strong multilateral and regional action.
"Our new 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent sets out a long-term vision to drive our political and development aspirations and our long-term approaches to critical challenges," he added.
"Our region is committed to working closely with this Forum for solutions that benefit all of us. When we look at the challenges that lie before us, we also become painfully aware of what we have left behind us. And it is vanity to think that any nation—or any group of nations—can solve its own problems while the rest of the world struggles to survive."
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Honorable Retno Marsudi, in her opening remarks, said that multilateralism is the only mechanism where all countries regardless of their size and wealth stand on equal footing and are treated equally.
"The voices of all countries-big or small, North and South, developed and developing- must be heard," she said.
"Multilateralism is the only way to coordinate effectively against global challenges."
Meanwhile, discussions at the 17th session of the G20 Summit are focused on three main pillars, including Global Health Architecture, Sustainable Energy Transition, and Digital Transformation.