Jakarta – Chief of Staff to the President Moeldoko joined global leaders in recognizing culture as a potential solution to address global challenges, rather than seeing it as mere after-work products. 

Specifically mentioning the Culture Ministers’ Meeting on 11 to 13 September in Magelang, Central Java, Moeldoko encouraged the public to laud the event as a dialogue towards a new civilization.

“Indonesia recognizes culture as a path to world recovery. It is in accordance with the theme of our G20 presidency, Recover Together, Recover Stronger,” said Moeldoko in Jakarta, Tuesday (13/9).

“This cultural path will guide us the way to restore the world, even better, it will lead us to a new civilization. Together, in mutual cooperation,” he added.

The 2022’s G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting was held in Borobudur Temple, one of Indonesia’s greatest cultural-heritage sites acknowledged by UNESCO. The temple, engraved with natural sculptures and reliefs, stands as a treasure of knowledge for across generations and civilizations, as well as a reminder for people to live in harmony with nature within the universe.

“We can all learn sustainable living practices that exist in Indonesian traditions to help address the challenges of health, economic and environmental problems,” the former Military General said.

Themed “Culture for Sustainable Living”, the meeting agreed to highlight the essential role of culture in ensuring sustainable development and promoting global partnerships. Besides, the forum also agreed to promote job creation, encourage initiatives on education, foster digital ecosystem, preserve the natural environment, and push for more culture-based policies.

On the sidelines of the meeting, various cultural events involving approximately 2,500 artists were organized, including the new media festival “Indonesia Bertutur”, the G20 Orchestra involving musicians from G20  countries, Ruwatan Bumi ceremony or Earth Healing Rituals, Kirab Budaya parade (Cultural Festivals), and so forth.