Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo recently told African leaders of Jakarta's intentions to establish partnerships with the said continent as countries race against time to work towards the UN's plan for a better world. 

The global sustainable development goals (SDGs) -- and their sluggish progress -- dominated Jokowi’s speech at the Indonesia-Africa Forum in Bali. The SDGs are a universal call to action made by UN members to end poverty and world hunger, among others, by 2030. 

But a recent UN report even showed that only 17 percent of the SDG targets were on track, sparking fears that having a better world could just be another pipe dream. The world even saw an additional 23 million people get pushed into extreme poverty, and over 100 million more suffered from hunger in 2022 versus 2019. 

Speaking in front of his African counterparts including Liberian President Joseph Nyumah Boakai and Zimbabwean Veep Kembo Mohadi, Jokowi said that the world’s “multilateralism spirit” had waned amidst geopolitical challenges and economic slowdowns. 

“Developing countries are the ones who suffer the most because of it. Millions of people in developing nations are the ones who struggle the most. And we only have six years until 2030, but we have only achieved 17 percent of the SDG targets,”  Jokowi told the Bali forum.

“Indonesia is ready to partner with anyone, especially with Africa, as a key to achieving the global development agenda,” Jokowi said.

Jokowi then revealed that the three-day Bali Forum recorded business deal commitments worth approximately $3.5 billion as a means to show Jakarta’s willingness to partner with Africa. Jokowi spoke of the need to align the SDGs with national and regional agenda, including Africa 2063 -- the continent’s signature blueprint which sums up its aspirations to be a global powerhouse.

“Indonesia vows to be a bridge builder to fight for equality, justice, and solidarity in accelerating the SDG progress,” the Indonesian leader said.