Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Arsjad Rasjid met Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss the development of green energy ecosystems and sustainable economy.
Rasjid made the visit ahead of the implementation of the B20 Summit on November 13-14 and G20 Summit on November 15-16 in Bali, Indonesia, as well as the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-27 UNFCCC) on November 6-18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
B20 is G20’s Sherpa Track official dialogue forum with the global business community. It provides practical policy recommendations from a business viewpoint to the G20.
In a statement received on Friday, the Kadin chairperson said that his side had invited Pope Francis to visit Indonesia in 2023 and cooperate in realizing the five global development principles of Peace, Prosperity, People, Planet (Earth), and Partnership (inclusive collaboration), so they can be implemented in Indonesia based on inclusive interreligious and cultural dialogue.
According to Rasjid, various concrete initiatives to tackle global challenges, such as climate change, have encouraged everyone to follow suit, regardless of their race, religion, belief, political group, or organization.
“Talking about recovering the world from the threat of climate change is also an interfaith dialogue since it is based on our faith that obliges us to care for the Earth, create prosperity (for the people), and ensure a decent living for the next generation,” he remarked.
Rasjid also noted that peace, which is rooted in the teachings of doing good deeds in all religions and beliefs, is an absolute requirement for realizing equitable development.
Hence, he stated that the B20 Summit, themed “Advancing an Innovative, Inclusive, and Collaborative Growth,” would highlight the importance of developing a fair and just economic system at every socio-economic level by prioritizing humanitarian values and interfaith dialogue.
“Through the G20 and B20 summits in Bali, the world leaders will gather to encourage a joint movement to expedite global recovery, such as by promoting carbon emission reductions, inclusive trade cooperation, as well as other attempts to realize sustainability that can bring prosperity to the global community,” he remarked.
At the meeting, Pope Francis also highlighted the importance of mankind’s solidarity to restore the environment.
Hence, he invited all Catholics to make an ecological conversion and urged the world leaders, who would be present at COP-27 in Egypt and the G20 Summit in Bali, to seriously think about reducing the carbon footprint of human activities.
He also reminded about the immeasurable impact of ecological disasters caused by climate change and geopolitical conflicts, such as droughts, floods, hurricanes, food and water crises, pest and disease spread, as well as the threat of losing adequate livelihoods.
Source: Antara News