Indonesia

The United Nations in Indonesia

Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world by population, with a total of more than 270 million people. It is an independent republic and a member of the G20, the international forum that brings together the world’s major economies.

Indonesia is the largest UN peacekeeping troop contributor among the 15 UN Security Council members. It is a member of the UN Human Rights Council (2020-2022) and the UN Economic and Social Council (2021-2023).

Indonesia has seen robust economic growth and rapid development over the past decades. Poverty has been halved, access to education has increased on all levels, and more people have better access to health care, clean water, and justice than ever before. Indonesia’s economy is the largest in Southeast Asia and the 16th largest globally, with what equates to 5 per cent annual growth between 2013-2019. In 2019, Indonesia had a per-capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 4,135.

Indonesia officially became the 60th member of the United Nations on 28 September 1950. Since then, the United Nations has been working in partnership with the Government to enhance development, strengthen democracy, and end extreme poverty by 2030. At the country level, the relationship between the UN and the Government has evolved from a traditional donor beneficiary relationship into a strategic partnership to accelerate Indonesia’s rapid transformation to a high-income economy. Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, the UN Country Team in Indonesia currently provides policy advice, technical support and knowledge sharing on a host of development priorities, outlined in the current UN 5-year Strategy in Indonesia, the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2021–2025.

The Government of Indonesia and the UN signed the UNSDCF in April 2020. This seminal document articulates the UN’s collective actions to support Indonesia in preserving and accelerating the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a multi-stakeholder consultation process, the UNSDCF is aligned with the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN 2020-2024) and has four strategic priorities: inclusive human development; economic transformation; green development, climate change and natural disasters; and innovation to accelerate the progress towards the SDGs.

In Indonesia, the UN Country Team consists of 23 Agencies, as well as separate Funds, Programmes, and non-resident agencies.

Milestones

1. 28 September 1950: Indonesia joined the UN. Indonesia was admitted as the 60th Member State of the United Nations. The vote for admission, which was unanimous, took place five years after Indonesia’s Proclamation of Independence in 1945
2. February 1957: Indonesia sent troops to a UN Peacekeeping mission for the first time. Indonesia’s contribution to the Peacekeeping mission began when the country sent 559 infantry personnel as part of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Sinai. As of April 2021, there are 2,795 active personnel, of which 158 are female. This puts Indonesia as the 8th largest peacekeeper contributing countries.
3. 1973 – 1974: Indonesia was selected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. Since then, Indonesia has served as a member three more times: 1995 – 1996, 2007 – 2008, and most recently 2019 – 2020.
4. 2017: Indonesia enacted Presidential Decree (Perpres) No. 59 Year 2017 on Implementing the Achievement of SDGs. Under the coordination of the Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas, the enactment of the Presidential Decree regulates the composition of the national coordination team and duties of each party, the establishment of the Implementation Team and Working Groups, and official documents on SDG measurements, reporting, and funding in forms of roadmaps and action plans in the national and regional levels.
5. April 2020: The Government of Indonesia and the UN signed the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2021-2025. The UNSDCF has been positioned as the single most important UN country planning instrument, responding to national priorities and supporting the 2030 Agenda, with a more robust planning process from which UN Agency country programme documents are derived.
6. October 2020: United Nations and the Republic of Indonesia both turned 75. The Government of Indonesia and the United Nations System are committed to building a nation that is prosperous, democratic, and just, where development benefits all people, and where the rights of future generations are protected.

To learn more, visit: https://indonesia.un.org/.