Presidential Regulation No. 116 of 2020 reinforces Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) as the coordinator of the government’s foreign policy and international relations. To address fragmented sectoral activities and ensure continuity in managing foreign policy issues, MOFA needs to strengthen its internal coordination and diplomatic expertise. This paper proposes establishing spe…
This paper examines the importance of increasing Indonesian representation in international organizations to strengthen Indonesia’s diplomacy, particularly in multilateral forums. The number of Indonesians working in organizations of which Indonesia is a member remains relatively small and is considered underrepresented, despite the potential benefits and opportunities that greater representa…
This paper examines the strategies that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could implement to aid Indonesia’s national tourism recovery following the impact of the pandemic. The tourism sector was hit particularly hard by the pandemic, with Indonesia losing at least IDR 10 trillion in 2020. Recovery efforts were pursued by the government, including Travel Corridor Arrangements (TCAs) and pilot p…
This paper examines social media engagement strategies at Indonesian missions abroad as part of digital diplomacy. Since Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) opened Twitter and Facebook accounts in 2010, Indonesian missions abroad have followed suit, establishing more than 522 accounts across four major platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Drawing on a survey, gap a…
This paper explores how public diplomacy can enhance Indonesia’s nation branding to advance national interests and achieve foreign-policy goals. In an increasingly globalized world, competition between countries has made nation branding more prominent as states seek to cultivate a positive image and become more attractive and competitive internationally. The paper argues that, for more than 7…
This paper examines the need for Indonesia to recalibrate its approach to UN peacekeeping by moving away from a numbers-based strategy. Over the past two decades, Indonesia's strategy to strengthen its status as a major UN peacekeeping contributor has focused on increasing the number of peacekeepers on the ground. This is evident in the 2012 'Vision 4,000 Peacekeepers' initiative. While this st…
This paper examines the need to design a Flexible Working Arrangement policy in Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) post-COVID-19 pandemic. During the unprecedented time of COVID-19, thousands of employees were forced to work from home using digital technology and platforms, and MoFA embraced the new normal by implementing Working from Home (WfH) arrangements using existing technolog…
This paper examines the need for Indonesia to refocus its engagement with Yemen, given that the relationship between the two countries has long been rooted in history, dating back centuries when merchants from the Hadhramaut region in modern-day Yemen arrived in present-day Indonesia. Formal diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Yemen began in 1992 with the opening of the Indonesian Embass…
This paper examines the role of Indonesian aid in strengthening Indonesia's sovereignty diplomacy, using the Papua issue within the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) as a case study. OACPS comprises 48 Sub-Saharan African, 16 Caribbean, and 15 Pacific member states, raising concern as it includes many frontline countries on the Papua issue with a history of engagemen…
Despite being the world’s largest Muslim population and the economy with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) among Muslim-majority countries, Indonesia is currently the biggest global halal food market, but nowhere among the major global halal food producers and exporters. The Indonesia Islamic Economic Masterplan (MEKSI) 2019-2024 has outlined a set of strategies to achieve the visi…