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IKN signs deal with Tony Blair Institute to build research center
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Former British prime minister Tony Blair (from left to right), Institute for Global Change’s Indonesia country director Shuhaela Haqim, Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority secretary Achmad Jaka and its head Bambang Susantono pose after a signing of a deal to build a research and development center in Indonesia’s future capital city in East Kalimantan, in Jakarta on October 19, 2023. (Courtesy of/Tony Blair Institute)
T
he Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority has signed a deal with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) to help build a research and development center in Indonesia’s future capital city in East Kalimantan.
Former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair, the executive chair of the London-based think-tank, visited the IKN Authority’s satellite office in Jakarta on Wednesday to sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU), which marks an official partnership between the IKN Authority and the TBI after Blair had shown his support for the new capital since 2020. Blair last met with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2022 to talk about IKN.
“Under the extraordinary endeavor of the IKN Authority, Nusantara is a reality. It’s taking shape,” Blair said on Wednesday after signing the MoU.
Blair said that he was impressed by the progress of the construction of the new capital city that is of “enormous importance” for Indonesia and that he hoped that Nusantara could be a world-class education city.
“Nusantara is situated in a beautiful part of the world that is rich in biodiversity, and it's going to be a sign of modern living that is sustainable and protects our environment,” he said.
“One of the things we want to do as an institute is to help create a center of research, innovation and technology in Nusantara,” Blair said.
Founded in 2016, the TBI is a non-profit organization that is home to a global team of political strategists and policy experts. It operates in more than 30 countries around the world.
