Indonesia says Palestine question test of our conscience, multilateral system

Palestine “remains a test of our conscience,” Indonesia's foreign minister said on Saturday, calling for sovereignty to be respected and an end to colonialism.

“Sovereignty must be respected and colonialism must be brought to an end,” Sugiono said in his address at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

He said the “clear violation of international law in Gaza and the West Bank” was reminiscent of the world before 1945, before the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions.

“Indonesia knows what it means to struggle against colonialism, to struggle in a world where international law was weak and might was right,” he said.

Sugiono said Indonesia’s journey to independence had shaped its consistent support for the Palestinian people and their right to determine their future.

“Indonesia will continue to stand with the Palestinian people until their right to self-determination is fulfilled, and until an independent and sovereign state of Palestine is realized based on the two-state solution, in accordance with international law and internationally agreed parameters,” he said.

“Palestine is not only a question for one region; it is a test of whether the multilateral system can uphold the very principles it was created to defend, and whether it can deliver when it matters most,” he added.

Need for stronger, more representative multilateralism

The top diplomat said Indonesia continued to believe in the UN, but stressed that the organization “must evolve with the world it serves.”

“Let us be clear that the answer to imperfect multilateralism is not less multilateralism,” he said. “It is a stronger and better multilateralism; a multilateral system fit for the 21st century must be more representative, more agile and better able to deliver.”

Sugiono also announced Indonesia’s candidacy for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat for 2029-2030, with a commitment to “fostering unity, advancing peace.”

He said Indonesia would work to keep dialogue open, build common ground and promote practical cooperation while upholding the UN Charter.

“As President Prabowo Subianto mentioned in his very lecture last year, one thousand friends are too few and an enemy is too many,” he said, adding that the approach guides Indonesia’s engagement through the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the G20, D-8 (D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation), BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Türkiye and Australia) blocs and the UN.

He noted that Indonesian peacekeepers had served under the UN flag in Lebanon for nearly two decades.

“UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) may be entering its final chapter, but Indonesia's commitment does not end with the mission,” he said.

Sugiono encouraged greater resilience among nations, regions and international institutions. “Because resilience is not simply about surviving the storms, it is about having the strength to keep moving forward together,” he said.

The foreign minister said Indonesia’s resilience is built around its people, with food and energy security, education, healthcare and economic strength as key priorities.