Indonesia’s Secret Weapon: Achieving Sovereignty, Sustainability, and National Development through the Diaspora

Global Indonesian Professional Association (GIPA) welcomes the return of the Global Human Capital Summit

Jakarta, 20 August 2024 — Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, officially opened the 2024 Global Human Capital Summit by emphasizing the strategic role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in supporting the contributions of the Indonesian diaspora within the global stage to support Indonesia Emas 2045.

“Each and every one of [the diaspora] is a catalyst of change.

Together we can achieve what is needed, to accelerate our social, technological, and economic transformation toward Indonesia’s golden future by 2045. Indonesia’s bridgebuilders to the world,” said Ms. Retno Marsudi on Tuesday (20/08).

The Global Human Capital Summit, hosted by GIPA with full support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Swire Pacific, took place at the Pullman Thamrin Hotel, Jakarta, on Tuesday, August 20 2024. This event gathered global leaders and senior representatives from ASEAN and G20 countries, reflecting GIPA’s commitment to Indonesia’s development and its support to the government.

Established in 2019, GIPA is built on three core pillars: (i) Facilitating the return of the Indonesian diaspora to Indonesia, (ii) Supporting the Indonesian diaspora living abroad, and (iii) Promoting the Indonesian diaspora as key drivers of Indonesia’s development.

“Many of [the diaspora] have become leaders, innovators, and influencers in various sectors worldwide.

They bring, not just financial capital, but intellectual capital, a global network, and diverse perspectives that are invaluable to our nation’s development. These global experiences and be channeled back to Indonesia,” said Shinta Kamdani, Coordinating Vice Chair for Maritime, Investment, and International Affairs at KADIN.

The GHC Summit 2024 was also welcomed by the warm message from Kim Khao Hourn, Secretary General of ASEAN,

“Indonesian is a powerhouse of talent, creativity, and resilience human resources and the expertise of diaspora would position the nation as a global leader. By investing in its human capital, Indonesia can unlock its full potential as a nation that contributes significantly to ASEAN’s prosperity”.

This year’s Summit aims to consolidate discussions and generate new ideas on Indonesia’s human capital development, engaging Indonesian professional associations across Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. The Summit featured three plenary sessions and two special panels.

Through the theme of strategic talent development and productivity to support Indonesia’s trajectory in becoming a developed nation, Tedi Bharata, the Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises for Human Resources, Technology and Information opened the first general panel session. Other notable attendees include Professor Nobuhiro Aizawa, Dean & Managing Director at The ERIA School of Government; Professor Scott Guggenheim, Adjunct Lecturer at Georgetown University; Tantowi Yahya, the Indonesian ambassador to the Pacific and President of United In Diversity Foundation; and Votivia Mardinna, Senior Vice President of Bank Mandiri.

“Human capital is an integral part of our transformation. The journey of the diaspora is not easy and finding a job after they are back is also difficult, but we want to have a long-term relationship,” said Tedi Bhrata, Deputy Minister for Human Capital & ICT.

“We open up our door to the diaspora to be a part of us.”

During the Summit, Esa Sukmawijaya, Deputy Assistant for Youth Empowerment, also announced the launch of the ‘Indonesian Dream’ internship program. Partnering with Aspen Medical, the program aims to create opportunities for young Indonesians to work in foreign companies through professional networks such as GIPA.

The launch of the White Paper on Global Mobility by GIPA and Henley & Partners, held during the second special panel, centered on the theme of enhancing global mobility to achieve Indonesia Emas 2045, the panel session featured Ian Horsburgh, Director of Henley & Partners; Patrick Yip, Founder of Intudo Ventures; Jenny Lee, CEO of The International Test Center (ITC); and Dyah Roro Esti, Member of Parliament and Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

The second panel session continued with the theme of health, specifically regarding Health & BioTalents’ efforts to enhance the well-being and prosperity of Indonesia. The second panel session began with the Launch of the Initiative for the Placement of Foreign-Certified Indonesian Medical Personnel, marked by the signing of an MoU by GIPA and Swire, witnessed by Amb. Siti Mauludiah, Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

Notable speakers include Anna Kurniati, Director of Health Workforce Utilization; Dr. Ivan Sini, Chairman of PT Bundamedik Tbk and the Indonesian Geonomics Association; Matt Hughes, Chief Strategy Officer of Aspen Medical; and Dr. Dini Handayani, Chief Medical Officer of Mayapada Healthcare Group.

The final panel session of the Summit focused on the digital sector, specifically the advancement of the digital economy through Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“The digital talent in Indonesia is still basic, it’s not only programming, it’s understanding other knowledge: psychology, behavioral economics, game theory … We need not only more talent, but more quality and a lot of that is transfer knowledge from overseas,” said Eddy Chan, Founding Partner at Intudo Ventures.

The final panel session concluded with insights from Eddi Danusaputro, CEO of BNI Ventures and Chairman of Amivest; Budi Gandasoebrata, Group Head Compliance — Payments and Financial Services at GoTo Financial; Noudhy Valdryno, Country Director of Ant International; and Dr. Achmad Aditya, Executive Director of Solo Technopark.

Held in a hybrid format with 800 in-person participants and over 500 online attendees, the Summit served as a platform for in-depth discussions. Strategic ideas and initiatives were explored to ensure that Indonesia can fully leverage its human resources to achieve Indonesia Emas 2045, with the diaspora playing a pivotal role as the nation’s secret weapon.

Media Enquiries

GIPA Council: [email protected] or +61 405 408 228.

GIPA represents Indonesian professionals and executives abroad across G20 and ASEAN in eight key industry groups. As a global secretariat, GIPA seeks to empower a global alliance of overseas professional hubs to advance Indonesia’s economic diplomacy and human capital development.