OPENING STATEMENT PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA AT THE WCF ON 25 NOV 2013, BALI

Senin, 25 November 2013
Di baca 730 kali

OPENING SPEECH
BY
H.E. DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AT
THE WORLD CULTURE FORUM
NUSA DUA, BALI
25 NOVEMBER 2013

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Om Swastiastu,

May peace be upon us all,

His Excellency Prof. Mohammad Nuh, Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia,

Excellencies Ministers and Members of the Parliaments  of participating countries,

His Excellency Mr. Francesco Bandarin, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Culture,

Prof. Amartya Sen and Dr. Fareed Zakaria, our distinguished keynote speakers, and other distinguished panelists,

Honorable Governor of the Bali Province,

Excellencies Ambassadors and Representatives of United Nations Agencies and International Organizations,

Distinguished Delegates and Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I recognize among us, Mr. Felipe De Leon, Chairman and Commissioner of the National Commission for Culture and Arts of the Republic of the Philippines. Through you, I would like to once again express our deepest condolences and sympathy to our brothers and sisters in the Philippines, for their huge loss caused by Typhoon Haiyan. We pray that the people of the Philippines will soon recover from this tragedy and emerge stronger.

History is replete with stories of civilizations and cultures that perish, I should say,  perished due to calamities. And an event such as this, provides us with an opportunity to preserve the richness of our cultures and heritage. Therefore, I am deeply encouraged to see the enthusiasm and great interest among participants of this first World Culture Forum.

And I would also like to commend the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, together with UNESCO, for organizing this auspicious Forum in Bali.

As a salesperson-in-chief of Indonesia, let me give a short impression about Bali, especially for those of you visiting the island for the first time. When you have a chance to explore this island after your three days discussions about culture, you will witness not only the uniqueness of local traditions, but also the presence of cosmopolitan cultures. Indeed, Bali is the place where East meets West and intertwine harmoniously.

Now, on the World Culture Forum itself, let me begin by asking: Why do we need a World Culture Forum?

 

We already have a World Economic Forum for dialogues on business and economic issues. We also have a World Social Forum for critical discussions on globalization and all its aspects. However, we are yet to have a global forum for meaningful dialogues on the importance of culture.

I believe, it is time for us to set up a platform where together, we can build mutual understanding and better appreciate cultural diversity. A platform that will help local and national cultural communities to flourish within the unfolding globalization.

This World Culture Forum is designed to complement and strengthen existing initiatives, including those under the framework of UNESCO. Indonesia also hopes that by engaging a wide range of stakeholders, this Forum will contribute to collaborative development of culture.

The theme of this inaugural Forum "The Power of Culture in Sustainable Development" is indeed timely.

 

Indeed, the international community has recognized the significance of culture on achieving equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. This is evident in the inter-governmental processes at the United Nations.

In a landmark resolution in 2011, for example, UN member states acknowledged that culture is an essential component of human development. Culture is also an important factor in social inclusion and poverty eradication.

 

Such recognition can also be seen in the outcome documents of Rio + 20 Conference, which underscore that all cultures and civilizations can contribute to sustainable development. In addition, the UN High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda also had serious discussions on this subject.

At the regional level, two years ago in Bali, ASEAN leaders adopted a declaration "ASEAN Unity in Cultural Diversity: towards Strengthening ASEAN Community." The declaration underlines the importance of culture for our well-being and the realization of full human potential.

In the academic circle, I also observe that there have been a number of scholarly works on the topic of culture and development. These include analyses and observations by our distinguished keynote speakers, Prof. Amartya Sen and Dr. Fareed Zakaria, as well as our panelists.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Our forum today gives us an opportunity to discuss thoroughly in a series of round-table discussions on how culture can help achieve sustainable development. I believe that we will benefit greatly from the presentations and subsequent discussions.

To add to your discussions later on, let me share a few thoughts on culture and sustainable development.

First, sustainable development envisions a balance between economic progress and environmental protection. Therefore, we need to build on value systems and traditions that promote environmental sustainability. We need to preserve indigenous knowledge systems and environmental management practices that promote ecological sustainability.

Here in Bali, for many centuries people embrace the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana. It is the philosophy that envisages harmony among human, between human and the environment, and between human and God the Creator. Tri Hita Karana is the bedrock of Balinese culture that conserves and respects nature. I believe that similar philosophy can be found in every country of the world.

 

Second, culture of inclusiveness is essential to sustainable development with equity. Whereas, sustainable development itself envisions inclusive growth which leaves no one behind. Therefore, in my view, it is critical for us to integrate this culture of inclusiveness into development policies and programmes at all levels. This is in line with the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which places people at the center. To achieve this objective, we need to develop broad social inclusiveness and resilience for every community and its members.

The idea of inclusiveness should also involve participation and contribution of local and traditional communities, in Indonesia they are known as masyarakat adat.

 

Third, participation of women is also critical to enhance inclusiveness and sustainable development with equity. Therefore, gender consideration should also be taken into account in the main-streaming of culture in development policies and programs. And speaking about gender main-streaming, let me tell you a little secret about a new culture that my wife brought into the family.

You know, my wife Ani, she has a unique habit she got from her father, and that was to give a tree for each birthday. This may break away from some traditions, but this new culture is good for the environment, good for our next generation, and certainly good for the tree sellers around the corner. The only thing is that, after so many years, with all the trees planted in our small back-yard, I will find myself one day busy cleaning up falling leaves.

I also wish to inform you that the Association of Indonesian Women has developed a new tradition of planting millions of trees annually. They do it simultaneously all over Indonesia. At the national level, I also lead a similar campaign of planting a billion trees annually.

Immediately after opening this Forum, I will travel to Mount Agung, at its cliff, to lead the national tree planting campaign for this year. I do believe that by ways of planting a billion trees each year, within the next twenty to thirty years Indonesia will be transformed into a much greener country. Through this initiative, I want to generate a new culture of tree planting of which Indonesia next generation will reap the benefits from what we sow.

Fourth, culture could become an important source of income, create employment, and foster entrepreneurship. According to a UN report, cultural and creative industries represent one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in the global economy. In Asia for example, its growth rate reaches 9.7 percent; in Africa 13.9 percent; in the Middle East 17.6 percent; South America 11.9 percent; Oceania 6.9 percent; and in North and Central America 4.3 percent.

On its part, Indonesia has taken a number of measures to make culture as a driver of sustainable development. This includes the development of sustainable cultural tourism and cultural infrastructure. During my second term of presidency, I have re-formed the Ministry of Tourism to also be responsible for creative industries.

Fifth, development can be realized to the fullest, only when order and stability prevail. Today, there are countries which remain under conflict situation. Under such condition, underdevelopment and poverty tend to persist, or even become worse. Therefore, nurturing a culture of peace is essential to achieving sustainable development.

And Sixth, inter-state cooperation should give priority to culture and development issues. In our case, we have joint development projects with other countries emphasizing on culture. With the Netherlands for example, through Cultuur & Ontwikkeling programs, we bring more cultural elements into the already extensive development cooperation.

Such international cooperation could also include scholarships on culture and development, especially for youths. In this regard, for many years Indonesia has offered cultural scholarships to nationals from various countries.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before I conclude, I wish you all productive deliberations. I do hope this forum will help us

better appreciate the inter-linkages between culture and sustainable development. I also hope this forum will assist us in shaping sustainable development policies and strategies, with culture as the enabler and driver.

I believe through your efforts, this inaugural Forum could add value to the discussions on culture and sustainable development in many fora. In particular, I hope that the Forum could encourage further discussion for the convening of a UN conference on culture and development.

On a more personal note, I certainly hope that this Forum can be convened regularly. I believe there are many other topics emanating from culture that we can discuss in the future.

In that way, we will always be able to work together to promote the importance of culture in all aspect of our life, including the culture of peace.

I truly hope that a forum such as this will continue to gain international support. Therefore, international cooperation will not be confined only to economic cooperation as well as political and security cooperation. And instead, it will foster collaboration among nations to promote culture as a driver for human progress.

To conclude, just two days ago I took a short trip to a beautiful lake here in Bali, at the foot of Mount Batur. At one end of the lake, I visited an old house that once belonged to Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, a prominent Indonesian poet, writer, and linguist. Therein, I saw a piece of his poem written on a painting.

In this light, let me read this poem for you in the Indonesian language. In my opinion, this poem represents the ideal behind our Forum, and also my sincere hope for its continuity.

Kembangkan sayap, kekar dan lebar,

Dan terbanglah, terbanglah,

Terus lurus membumbung tinggi,

Melampaui gunung memecah mega,

which in English means:

Spread your wings, mighty and wide,

And fly, fly away,

Stay the course and soar high,

Over the mountains passing through the clouds.

And finally, finally  by saying, Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I declare the first World Culture Forum officially open.

.

Thank you.

Wassalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om.

 

 

Asisten Deputi Naskah dan Penerjemahan,

Deputi Bidang Dukungan Kebijakan,

Kementerian Sekretariat Negara RI