President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo opened the High-Level Meeting Session of the 10th World Water Forum Summit in Bali on Monday by emphasizing the urgency of global collaboration in managing water resources to face increasingly complex challenges in the future.

In his remarks, the President described water as "the next oil", highlighting its importance for global economic and ecological sustainability.

"The World Bank estimates that water shortages could slow economic growth by up to 6 percent by 2050," President Joko Widodo told the opening of the session on Monday, May 20, 2024.

"Water scarcity can also trigger wars and can be a source of disaster. Too much water or too little water, both can be a world problem," he said.

In the forum, President Jokowi explained Indonesia's efforts to strengthen its water infrastructure over the past decade, including the construction of 42 dams, 1.18 million hectares of irrigation, 2,156 kilometers of flood control and coastal protection, and rehabilitating 4.3 million hectares of irrigation networks.

"We also utilized water to build the Cirata Reservoir Floating Solar Power Plant as the largest floating solar power plant in Southeast Asia," he said.

Furthermore, President Jokowi asserted that the 10th World Water Forum is very strategic to revitalize concrete actions and joint commitments in realizing integrated water resources management.

To that end, President Jokowi encouraged three things consistently, namely increasing the principles of solidarity and inclusiveness, empowering concrete and innovative hydro-diplomacy, and strengthening political leadership in international cooperation related to water.

Indonesia also proposed four new initiatives in this forum, namely the establishment of World Lake Day, the establishment of a Center of Excellence in the Asia Pacific for water and climate resilience, sustainable water governance in small island states, and the promotion of water projects. These initiatives demonstrate Indonesia's commitment to leading global efforts in sustainable water governance.

The event was attended by state leaders, heads of international organizations, and delegates from various countries, marking the importance of international cooperation in addressing future water resources management challenges.

President Jokowi closed his remarks by inviting all parties to collaborate in maintaining the sustainability of water resources.

"Water is not just a product of nature, but a product of collaboration that unites us so that it requires joint efforts to protect it.”