Democracy Support in Indonesia's Foreign Policy

Featured Speaker:

The Honorable Hassan Wirajuda
Former Foreign Minister of Indonesia

Contributor:

Ketut Putra Erawan

Executive Director, Institute for Peace and Democracy

Introductory Remarks by David Merrill, President, USINDO

Moderated by Paul Rowland, Resident Senior Director for Indonesia, NDI

Indonesia has assumed an active role in promoting democratic governance in Asia.  As part of this effort, the Indonesian government launched the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) in 2008 to promote regional cooperation and strengthen democratic institutions.  The BDF is an annual event that encourages Asian political leaders to share perspectives on the democratization process.  In 2010, 52 leaders from across Asia attended the event entitled “Democracy and the Promotion of Peace and Stability.”  The Indonesian Foreign Ministry recently created the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), an independent nonprofit organization based at Udayana University in Bali, to execute ideas, initiatives, and programs that are proposed by the annual Bali Democracy Forum.

Please join us for a presentation on the progress and challenges that Indonesia faces in increasing regional collaboration on democracy strengthening within ASEAN and in the broader Asia region.