Indonesian Conference on Foreign Policy 2016

By Ashleigh McFarland (BPP2016 & Sem 43/Aug 2016)
Griffith University
20^th September 2016

ACICIS students participating in Semester 43 recently attended the Conference on Indonesian Foreign Policy (CIFP) in Jakarta, whereby the Foreign Policy Community Indonesia (FPCI) brought to the stage many influential people from Indonesia and abroad.

The FPCI community conveyed a message of peace to thousands of participants — including students, lecturers, ambassadors, entertainers, entrepreneurs and government officials. Students also had the opportunity to ask information in an intimate Diplomacy Clinic in regards to diplomacy, foreign policy and also other information’s related to the Ambassadors or Embassies.

The CIFP united many notable speakers such as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (former Indonesian president), Paul Grigson (Australian Ambassador to Indonesia), Dino Patti Djalal (founder of Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia and former Indonesian Ambassador to America), Wiranto (Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security), and Sandiaga Uno (Jakarta governor candidate).

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the former Indonesian president, encouraged youth to become diplomats and help to establish peace in the closing ceremony of CIFP.

“War is the last resort. Conducting a war is justified if the sovereignty and integrity of our country is threatened. If it is only ‘small friction’ among countries, diplomacy is needed,” Yudhoyono told the audience at the conference.

The CIFP comprised of 20 parallel sessions covering a wide variety of issues from South China Sea disputes to Indonesia becoming a major trading partner, and dealing with new threats (ISIS, Terrorism, Piracy and Drug Syndicates).
Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim and Blue Bird CEO Noni Purnomo spoke in a session on “three global trends that Indonesia must know about and get ready for”. They spoke about entrepreneurship and discussed that corporate growth and corporate culture are important for modern day success.

Dino Patti Djalal (founder of Foreign Policy Community Indonesia) received an award from the Indonesian Museum of Records for conducting Indonesia’s largest conference on foreign policy, with over 5800 people registered for the event.