Palestinian FM to Attend Democracy Forum in Bali

Jakarta, MINA – Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) will be held again in Indonesia on 5-6 December. The representatives from 140 countries will attend the event, including Palestinian Foreign Minister (FM) Riyad Al Maliki.

“So far we have invited 140 countries and international organizations that have confirmed 81 countries and our organizations expect that over time the day will continue to add delegations,” said Cecep Herawan, Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy (IDP) Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Central Jakarta, Thursday.

There were foreign ministers from Palestine, Kenya, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia, while the Deputy Foreign Ministers in attendance were from Venezuela, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Singapore, Qatar, and the Maldives.

According to Cecep, the participants will later share experiences about democratic practices in their respective countries in the form of dialogue and discussion.

Regarding the theme, Cecep conveyed every year BDF always raised different themes but remained sustainable. For the 12th BDF this time the theme is democracy and inclusiveness.

“The theme of BDF 2018, the 11th BDF was democracy and prosperity, as global developments we see that one of the keys to prosperity is inclusiveness. In this connection the 12th BDF will take the theme of democracy and inclusivity, “said Cecep.

However, although in broad outline the theme of inclusiveness, the 12th BDF will also emphasize a specific theme namely the role of women in democracy.

The theme will be discussed in the ministerial level and present two female ministerial speakers, namely the Kenyan Foreign Minister and the Australian Foreign Minister.

The plan is that BDF will be opened directly by the Chairperson of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Puan Maharani and closed by the Chairperson of DPR RI Commission I Meutya Hafiz. (L/Sj/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)