JAKARTA – On Monday, November 17, 2025, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, together with a national civil society coalition, held a public discussion titled “Strengthening Indonesia’s Role in the Group of Twenty (G20) for a Just and Balanced Global Order.” This event was organized ahead of the G20 2025 Summit, which will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 22-23, 2025. The discussion aimed to align civil society perspectives with the direction of the Indonesian government’s diplomatic strategy in global forums, while ensuring that Indonesia’s position in the G20 is grounded in domestic realities, principles of international justice, and long-term sustainability.
The discussion forum featured various stakeholders from government, academia, and civil society organizations. Present as speakers were Masni Eriza, Head of the Center for Multilateral Policy Strategy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia; Dita Herdiana, Economic Analyst at the G20 Sherpa Secretariat Indonesia; and Gresia Paramita, an academic from the Department of International Relations at the University of Indonesia. The discussion was also attended by representatives from research institutions and public policy advocacy organizations that actively promote global justice agendas.
This event was part of a series of initiatives under Civil20 (C20), the official civil society engagement group in the Group of Twenty (G20) process. Through this forum, civil society seeks to ensure that global policies negotiated by Indonesia are not solely oriented toward geopolitical and macroeconomic interests, but also consider their impacts on economic justice, ecological justice, and the protection of public interests domestically.
In the discussion, the speakers highlighted the imbalances in the global financial architecture, which is deemed increasingly irrelevant to current world conditions. The quota and voting rights structures in international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) remain dominated by developed countries. The Group of Seven (G7) countries, which represent less than 10 percent of the world’s population, hold approximately 40 percent of the voting power. This imbalance is exacerbated by the surge in debt among developing countries, which has reached approximately 102 trillion US dollars, significantly limiting fiscal space to finance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the energy transition agenda.
Several strategic recommendations emerged from the discussion. Indonesia is encouraged to strengthen cooperation and coalitions with developing countries through alliances such as BRICS, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as MIKTA, involving Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia, to push for reforms in the governance of international financial institutions. Additionally, Indonesia is expected to consistently play a role as a bridge builder between developed and developing countries in global negotiations. Other recommendations include promoting the formation of a Debtors’ Club as a joint forum for debtor countries, advocating for the implementation of a Global Wealth Tax, and diversifying currency use in international trade and financing to reduce dependence on the US dollar.
The discussion also highlighted Indonesia’s strategic position in the context of global energy transition geopolitics. As the world’s largest nickel producer, Indonesia has significant bargaining power in the critical minerals supply chain needed for clean energy development. However, the speakers cautioned that this strategic position also carries substantial risks, including corruption, land conflicts, environmental degradation, and gender inequalities that often accompany the management of the extractive sector and its downstream industries.
Therefore, civil society urges Indonesia not only to act as a supplier of raw materials but also to transform into a rule-shaper at the global level. This can be achieved by promoting the adoption of traceability standards for critical minerals and strengthening Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards, with expanded benefit-sharing principles for local communities. At the domestic level, the government is also encouraged to promptly pass the New and Renewable Energy Bill (RUU EBET), strengthen Local Content Level (TKDN) policies, and develop an inclusive green employment roadmap. Principles of justice, including gender and intergenerational justice, must become the core of Indonesia’s diplomacy.