Indonesia's President Calls for World to End Global 'Dichotomy'

The president of Indonesia, which hosted last year's G20 Bali summit, has been reiterating calls for emerging economies of the Global South to strive for collaboration and inclusivity.

The world must stop dividing countries into "developed and developing," Indonesian President Joko Widodo stated at the G20 summit in New Delhi, as he urged for more “equal and inclusive cooperation.”

“We need to put an end to the dichotomy that divides the world into north and south, developed and developing countries, east and west,” Widodo said in a statement delivered by the Press, Media, and Information Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat on Sunday.

Indonesia, which is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), hopes that the world will become “one big family,” built on the shared goal of creating a peaceful life for everyone, the president said. The theme of India’s G20 presidency has been "One Earth, One Family, One Future."

"I agree, if the world is like a big family, however, the family that Indonesia hopes is a family that builds each other, cares about each other, and has one common goal, namely to create a peaceful and prosperous life," Joko Widodo said.

In order for this goal to be realized, he added, global stability is needed, an end to wars, adherence to international law, and work to "create inclusiveness."

"As Chair of ASEAN, Indonesia continues to encourage ASEAN to become an anchor for the stability of the region that has a habit of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, because the world needs a neutralizer that needs a safe house," Indonesia's President stated.

"Indonesia will continue to echo the voices and interests of global countries, as well as encourage the representation of a wider region. For that, I welcome the participation of the African Union in the G20," he said.

Widodo applauded the announced inclusion of the African Union in the G20 as a permanent member during the first session of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on Saturday.

"Indonesia will continue to amplify the voice and interests of the Global South, as well as push for wider regional representation. Therefore, I welcome the participation of the African Union in this G20," said Joko Widodo, popularly known as "Jokowi."

Joko Widodo's reference to the "Global South" - a broad, loose collection of nations including most of Africa, Asia, and Latin America - comes after last month’s historic BRICS Summit in South Africa. The group, which currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, at its 15th summit in Johannesburg extended invitations to Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia to join the bloc. The BRICS Summit brought together countries from across the Global South - countries that are typically seen as lower-income nations, boasting a relatively low level of socio-economic and industrial development compared to wealthier northern nations. These countries are increasingly refusing to toe the US' line, charting their own course in geopolitics and trade.

The G20 summit under India's presidency was hailed as a "success" by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday. The G20 is undergoing an internal reform, and this was reflected in the significant activation of G20 members representing the Global South, Lavrov said during a press conference.