Jakarta. Indonesia is eyeing the non-permanent member seat to the UN Security Council for the 2029-2030 term, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono.

If elected, this would mark the fifth time for Indonesia to be in the UN’s premier decision-making body, which has passed resolutions on the Gaza conflict. 

“The UN must be more responsive, efficient, and deliver more tangible impact on the ground. This is why we re-nominate Indonesia as a UN Security Council non-permanent member for 2029-2030,” Sugiono said in his annual press address in Jakarta on Wednesday.

“We aren’t doing this merely for the prestige, but we wish to ensure that the system remains functioning, amidst increasing pressure. It’s an effort to demonstrate Indonesia’s commitment to improving and reforming multilateral institutions.”

The 10 non-permanent seats, which are elected on two-year terms, are open for UN members. Indonesia assumed the role during the 1974-1975, 1995-1996, 2007-2008, and 2019-2020 cycles. However, only the council’s permanent members — the US, China, Russia, France, and the UK — have the veto power. For a resolution to pass, it must earn at least nine votes in favor and avoid nays from any permanent members. A veto can prevent the resolution from being passed. The US, Israel’s biggest ally, has caught flak for vetoing resolutions on Gaza in the past. 

Sugiono’s annual press statement aimed to give an overview of where Indonesia’s foreign policy is heading. His speech, which lasted approximately 48 minutes without the greetings, zeroed in on how the world had entered a “multiplex world order”.

“This is where diverse interests, dominant actors, and rules of the game coexist. The partnership becomes more transactional,” Sugiono said.

Jakarta — now in the final stretch of a tariff deal with Washington — also shied away from criticizing US President Donald Trump despite lamenting over the use of trade weaponization in the foreign policy speech. Sugiono, however, denied that the statement specifically targeted Trump and was only making a general statement of the current situation.

“No. I was talking about how multilateralism needs to be strengthened. There should be a recommitment to the [international principles and rules] from all of us,” Sugiono said.