REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian government highlighted the importance of optimizing and strengthening South-South Cooperation for developing countries, including Indonesia, at the meeting of the 19th Session of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation.

The statement was delivered by Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esti Handayani at the meeting held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the United States, on May 16-19, 2016, according to a statement from the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry received by Antara here on Thursday.

The meeting was held to discuss future direction strategy for South-South Cooperation and efforts to strengthen the role of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.

At the meeting, Indonesia underlined the importance of strengthening multilateral support for the cooperation through an integrated action plan to achieve sustainable development goals.

The Indonesian government also stressed the importance of enhancing the role of the United Nations' specialized agencies relating to the South-South Cooperation in order to improve the welfare for the people living in developing countries.

In addition to actively participating in the meeting, Indonesia also serves as a member of the High-level Committee Bureau on South-South Cooperation.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, explained that in the domestic realm, Indonesia had integrated the South-South Cooperation as one of the strategic measures to achieve the national development goals.

South-South Cooperation has been included in the national medium-term development plan 2015-2019.

"In the international arena, Indonesia is one of the most active countries in implementing the cooperation through bilateral, regional, and multilateral relations.

Indonesia's commitment to South-South Cooperation began since the Asian-African Conference in 1955, which has spawned the Non-Aligned Movement," Ambassador Djani stated.

Indonesia has conducted more than 400 programs during the 2000-2015 period, involving thousands of participants from developing countries. The programs included trainings, scholarships, dispatch of experts, and technology transfer.

Indonesia has reiterated the importance of improving cooperation and strengthening solidarity among developing countries in order to address development challenges.

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