Indonesia's illuminating reputation on the world stage

Our policy is free and active, friendly to all countries, but which brings the greatest benefit to the people. These are the fundamental principles of the foreign policy of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) conveyed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) since his first term as Indonesia's leader in 2014.

This is the principle that the government of President Joko Widodo has continued to implement for 10 years. With all the challenges and dynamics that Indonesia faces on the global stage. Such as the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US-China trade war, the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, the struggle for mineral resources and the slow global economy, which led to a decline in investment in developing countries.

Under the leadership of Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno PL Marsudi and within the ranks of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, economic diplomacy has accelerated over the past decade to continue to bring concrete deliverables or real work for the national interest. Indonesia's reputation increases as Indonesia becomes active as a member and chair of international organizations.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Pahala Nugraha Mansury said that Indonesia's foreign policy focuses on the principle of freedom and activity, which is implemented measurably and well. calculated.well measured and well calculated)and action and results oriented (action and result oriented). “Over the past 10 years, Indonesia has proven that it is a country capable of entering into global geopolitical and economic dynamics,” Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister said at the 9th Merdeka Dialogue Forum Western (FMB9) which addressed the theme “A decade of Indonesian diplomacy in the face of global dynamics”, Monday (9/23/2024).

One of the main pillars of Indonesian diplomacy over the past ten years has been economic diplomacy. Even though economic diplomacy takes place against a backdrop of global challenges, Indonesia has managed to expand its market access through 27 international trade agreements, opening new access to markets in Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean .

Furthermore, the benefits of economic diplomacy also impact foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indonesia, which increases significantly from USD 28 billion in 2014 to USD 50 billion in 2023. This reflects the success of economic diplomacy Indonesia to attract investments in strategic sectors. such as renewable energies, food and health.

During the 2019-2020 period, Indonesia's diplomacy also bore sweet fruit as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), as well as heading a number of important initiatives. Including becoming a member of the UN Human Rights Council in 2020-2022 and 2024-2026. One of Indonesia's concrete proposals that was approved was to push for a resolution regarding women in peacekeeping and improve the working methods of the 1267 Sanctions Committee.

Indonesia's leadership in the UN Security Council is proof that our country is increasingly being taken into account at the global level, said Deputy Minister Pahala.

In the context of multilateral diplomacy, Indonesia also continues to fight for Palestinian rights in international forums. Indonesia is actively pushing for a UN resolution demanding an end to Israel's occupation of Palestine. Another achievement was rallying support from UN member countries so that this year Palestine would officially become a permanent member of the UN.

Health diplomacy has also been an important achievement for Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Deputy Foreign Minister Pahala highlighted that Indonesia managed to obtain 516 million vaccine doses, of which 26.5 percent were obtained through international subsidies.

Indonesia plays an important role in the COVAX AMC engagement group, ensuring equitable access to vaccines for developing countries, he said.

Indonesia also encourages the establishment of a pandemic fund during the G20 presidency in 2022 to strengthen global preparedness to deal with future pandemics, especially for vulnerable developing countries. $1.5 billion has been raised for the Pandemic Fund from dozens of countries and a number of international philanthropic institutions.

Likewise, Indonesia also plays a key role in ASEAN, especially during the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023. Pahala explained that Indonesia is pushing forward ASEAN's long-term vision for become a more resilient region in the face of global challenges. One of the main initiatives is the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum, which has produced 93 cooperation projects worth $38.2 billion.

Protection of Indonesian citizens

The main task of Indonesian government diplomacy is to protect all Indonesian citizens (WNI) who are outside the country. Regardless of which country the Indonesian citizen lives and resides in. It is recorded that there are approximately 8 to 9 million Indonesian citizens who are part of the diaspora in several countries. Both in Asia-Pacific, Australia-New Zealand, Africa, the United States as well as Latin America, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

For this reason, diplomats from the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) and the Consulate General of the Indonesian Embassy (Konjen) are requested to always actively accompany Indonesian citizens who are victims of human trafficking criminal cases ( TPPO), trapped in conflict zones and affected by natural disasters.

Over the past ten years, diplomacy aimed at protecting Indonesian citizens has brought many successes. One of them successfully resolved 218,313 cases of Indonesian citizens encountering problems in various countries, said Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Pahala Nugraha Mansury.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also strengthening legal infrastructure, information technology (IT) and human resources (HR) in overseas representative offices. This is done in order to be able to provide better services to Indonesian citizens abroad.

Deputy Minister Pahala emphasized that the government was seeking a comprehensive solution to the matter taking into account the emergency conditions that required the repatriation of Indonesian citizens. The government has successfully repatriated 18,022 Indonesian citizens in emergency situations, including areas of conflict and natural disasters.

The Indonesian government's diplomatic achievements over the past ten years have certainly not satisfied all parties, especially public opinion. However, this does not constitute a basis for the next government. A testimony from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres explains Indonesia's brilliant leadership on the world stage.

Indonesia's G20 presidency is in a difficult but very successful situation. Indonesia managed to make this agreement a success even though a number of members disagreed with each other. Indonesia's leadership in ASEAN is also very effective, Antonio Gutteres said.

Author: Kristantyo Wisnubroto
Editor: Ratna Nuraini