Page 118 - BUKU STRENGTHENING THE INDONESIAN PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY FADLI ZON

Bridging Connectivity and
Effective Multilateralism to Address the

Challenges of Globalization

It is a privilege to take part in your deliberations on “Connectivity and Effective Multilateralism,”
the two fundamentals in addressing the challenges of globalization.

Over the last fifty years, global economic growth rose sharply. The impact of economic growth
has been phenomenal. Infant mortality rate has declined. Literacy rate and life expectancy have
increased. The number of people living in extreme poverty was likely to fall to under 10 percent
of the global population in 2015, the World Bank projected.

However, the narrative that leads to the declining poverty rates is backed by a huge amount of
institutional interest. According to a research by Professor Thomas Pogge from Yale University,
the original goal of drawing 836 million people out of poverty under the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) has been whittled down to 345 million. In addition, the International Poverty
Line (IPL) has been set to serve the poverty-reduction narrative. An IPL of $1.25 per day utilized
by the UN Millennium Campaign is nowhere near to providing the adequate standard of living.
Consequently, increasing the number of people above the IPL does not mean freeing them out
of poverty. The global claim of the declining poverty is misleading.

In trade activities, globalization and trade liberalization are the two sides of a coin, both provide
opportunities and challenges. This often translated to opportunities for all, but in reality, more
opportunities for those who prosper, and more challenges for the poor.

Opportunities ramp up from the elimination of tariff barriers, a leeway for countless profit
and greater market expansion for large corporations. Globalization and trade liberalization
have made friends and foes as competitors and rivals. Unfortunately, billions of people in
the developing world and poorer economies are unable to compete in such a competitive
environment. As many people gained, more of us are still left behind.

Selected Speeches of the Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia I 105