FORMER Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called on global institutions such as the United Nations (UN) to evolve to meet the needs of a growing, interconnected world shaped by technological disruption and a multipolar order.
With the effects of globalisation in full force, accompanied by regional conflicts that have disrupted the supply chain, leading to growing living costs worldwide, Widodo, who is better known as Jokowi, said the UN needs reforms to stay relevant and to respond effectively to emerging global issues.
He said that the ASEAN region of Southeast Asia has a growing role to play in the multi - polar context, with many strong regional powers now holding court.
"Southeast Asia’s diversity and coexistence is an example of how different civilisations can turn differences into bridges for dialogue, cooperation and shared prosperity," said Jokowi in his recent keynote address at the inaugural Penang Peace Dialogue, the highlight of the Commonwealth of World Chinatown conference series at the Jen Penang George Town by Shangri-La.
Jokowi also summed up the emerging issues such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and digital transformation, which can either unite or divide societies, stressing that technology must be matched by trust, responsibility and humanity.
“Today, the challenges we face are getting more complex. Conflicts are interconnected, and their consequences cross borders. So, the UN must change and redefine the system, the process, and the strategy to get a better world and to be more relevant.
“We must move beyond the old edition of the United Nations and build a new edition: the new United Nations 2.0,” he said.
Jokowi was Indonesia’s seventh president from 2014 to 2024, and it is believed that this was the first time he visited Penang.
Stressing that sustainable peace must be built on trust, Jokowi said that no country can succeed alone.
"And no nation can prosper in conflict. And no peace can be built without trust,” he said.
He also highlighted Southeast Asia as an example of how different civilisations could coexist, learn from one another and grow together.
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Former Singapore top diplomat Kishore Mahbubani said that ASEAN must take cognisance of the fact that the region is buffeted by two powers, China and India.
"Whatever happens to both can impact us in this region, so we hope that the pursuit of peace and mutual prosperity continues to be a top initiative."
Speaking at a fireside chat segment, moderated by fellow Singaporean intelligentsia Viswa Sadasivan, he also warned that a potential armed conflict between China and Taiwan could pose a threat to the region, cautioning neighbouring nations against assuming it would remain unaffected.
Kishore, also a former president of the UN Security Council, warned that if a war occurred between the two countries, the chances of the United States' involvement would be high. - September 8, 2026.
