A truck passes through an oil palm plantation in Muaro Jambi, Jambi, on Nov. 20, 2024.

Which path will Indonesia’s palm oil sector take next?

Local governments play a crucial role in promoting multi-stakeholder processes to drive policy innovation for sustainable palm oil.

1 month ago

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Building community resilience is key to flood response

The latest flooding to hit the capital this month shows that while local administrations must continue to take the lead by developing community resilience against disasters, residents must also do their part by participating actively in preparedness and mitigation efforts. ...

1 month ago

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Between needs and interests: Indonesia’s partnerships in the age of uncertainty

The shifting geopolitical landscape and great power rivalries pose a new challenge for Indonesia's policy stance of nonalignment and “neutrality”. ...

1 month ago

The Latest

Women use smartphones on Sept. 28, 2023, at the entrance of Tanah Abang Market, Southeast Asia's largest wholesale shopping center for garments and textiles, in Jakarta.

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Why should we trust the government with our hard-earned money?

The most crucial question about our trust in the government is how dependable it can be when corruption is a deeply rooted part of Indonesian culture.

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A man walks past a poster for artificial intelligence (AI) at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Oct. 16, 2024, the first day of the world's biggest book fair, held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

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Europe must break free from its digital dependence

The time is ripe for Europe to wean itself off the services and platforms provided by US tech companies, revitalize its digital infrastructure and implement bold industrial policies that safeguard its sovereignty.

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Workers wait for customers at a filling station of state-owned oil company Pertamina in Surabaya on March 4, 2025.

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Preventing corruption in SOEs through fair competition

Fair competition serves as a natural deterrent to corruption by introducing higher levels of scrutiny.

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European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on June 5, 2020.

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Kremlin’s fertilizer cash stream is blind spot in EU sanctions

The bloc continues to overlook one of the Kremlin’s critical revenue channels: fertilizers.

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British-US influencer Andrew Tate arrives handcuffed and escorted by police at a courthouse in Bucharest on Feb. 1, 2023 to hear the court decision on his appeal against pre-trial detention for alleged human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal group.

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The manosphere thrives on old-style sexism, money just helps

It is wrong to say the very public rise of misogynist masculinity is about economic power. Money is simply fueling a revival of old-style views of gender power.

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Hundreds of farmers grouped under Customary People and Farmer Alliance rally on June 10, 2024 outside the North Maluku gubernatorial office in Medan, North Sumatra, to demand fulfillment of the government’s land distribution program.

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Indigenous peoples’ rights: The ASEAN paradox

Indonesia, despite the third constitutional amendment that recognizes and respects traditional communities, still denies legal protections for its indigenous peoples.

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A couple poses for wedding photos on Feb. 11, 2025, outside the Forbidden City in Beijing. China in 2024 saw a one-fifth decline in marriages, the latest sign of persistent demographic challenges as Beijing works to encourage births despite an uncertain economic outlook for young families.

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Emerging economies must get rich before they get old

Within a generation or two, many emerging economies will likely face the same demographic problems plaguing their developed-country counterparts – without the financial resources needed to cushion the blow.

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Hilly terrain forms a backdrop on Nov. 9, 2023, against the Cirata Floating Solar Power Plant, the largest facility of its kind in Southeast Asia that was jointly developed at Cirata Reservoir in Purwakarta, West Java, by the Indonesian government and Abu Dhabi-owned renewable company Masdar of the United Arab Emirates.

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The ESG drive is virtually dead in the US. What about in Indonesia?

The US appears to have entirely dropped out of the race toward sustainability while Indonesia still has challenges, particularly as regards regulatory maintenance and strengthening to support ESG compliance in high-risk and land-related sectors, not least to attract serious investors to Danantara.

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Racegoers dressed in the national colors of Ireland hurl their hats into the air during a Saint Patrick's Day celebration on March 13, 2025, the third day of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse in the western English town.

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Celebrating Ireland-Indonesia bonds on St. Patrick’s Day

A message from the Irish ambassador to Indonesia on bilateral ties and cooperation for global peace and stability, on the occasion of St. Patrick's Day

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Stock illustration of deepfake technology

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The crucial question in the age of AI: Are you human?

With the advent of the AI era, governments around the world, including in Indonesia, need to step up their policymaking to protect people from others that might wield the technology as a weapon of manipulation and disruption instead of a tool for development and prosperity.

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Low clouds pass on Oct. 25, 2024, over the Tujuh Bukit gold mine operated by PT Merdeka Copper Gold subsidiary PT Bumi Suksesindo in Banyuangi, East Java.

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The planned gold royalty hike could discourage investment

Indonesia's gold royalty rate is higher than that of most other jurisdictions and is generally perceived as regressive, so the government needs to consider at least four possible actions to maintain competitiveness and encourage investment while boosting revenue.

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Call to action: Plastic trash and non-organic waste cover corals in the waters of Nusa Dua, Bali, threatening the marine ecosystem in the area.

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Empty promises won’t save marine ecosystems

Protecting our oceans requires strong government policies backed by sustained funding for conservation and enforcement.

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A city downstream: A flooded residential area following heavy rains is seen from above on March 4 in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta.

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Where is megapolitan Jakarta heading with its floods?

Sporadic, partial and incidental efforts implemented so far are insufficient to address the issue.

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Gerindra Party chair and President Prabowo Subianto (left) walks with former president Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (second right)on Feb. 15, 2025, during the party's 17th anniversary celebration ceremony at the Sentul International Convention Center in Bogor, West Java.

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Prabowo’s test of governing in Jokowi’s absence

Jokowi's influence may not be institutional, but it is politically alive as long as leaders like Prabowo continue to invoke his name.

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Regional leaders march in formation on Feb. 27, 2025, during a week-long glamping retreat at the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java.

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Leadership in uncertainty: Bridging knowledge-doing gap with resilience, adaptability

Resilient leaders invest in continuous learning, prioritize mental and physical well-being and cultivate a growth mindset.

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Trial and error: Students attend a lecture at Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Surakarta, Central Java, on April 7, 2021, during a trial of in-person learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Journal indexation: The misconception of guaranteed quality

Journal indexation cannot be the only appraisal of research performance. The evaluation system must prioritize impact-focused indicators.

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Former members of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) perform Asr (afternoon) prayers on the sidelines of an event held to declare the disbandment of the terrorist group on Dec. 21, 2024, at the Convention Hall of the Tirtonadi terminal in Surakarta, Central Java. Some 1,200 former JI members from the greater Surakarta area, as well as 6,800 members from other parts of the country participated in the event online, declared their readiness to rejoin the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. They also expressed their commitment to helping safeguard peace and development in the country.

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JI: The art of disbandment and the politics of 'wait-and-see'

Indonesia’s legal system does not prohibit former terrorists from running for office, and some JI members have already tried to enter local politics.

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A farmer spreads fertilizer on his paddy field on Aug. 22, 2022, in Lamteuba, Aceh.

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Reframing economic security: Indonesia’s strategic path forward

Where great powers wield economic security as offense, middle powers view it as defense.

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The United Nations Security Council votes on a resolution allowing Palestinian UN membership at UN headquarters in New York, on April 18, 2024, during a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

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Why global governance is failing

Eight decades after the United Nations was established to prevent another world war and manage conflicts through diplomacy rather than violence, humanity finds itself paralyzed in the face of new planetary-scale disasters.

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An eye doctor examines a patient during a free public health screening event on March 27, 2024, in Dangin Puri Kauh village, Denpasar, Bali.

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Tax trap for medical doctors: A crisis in fairness

The taxation system imposed on Indonesian doctors is not only burdensome, but also contains structural anomalies that contradict the principles of tax fairness.

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Clean electricity: The floating panels of a solar power plant are seen from above on Sept. 26, 2023, at Cirata Dam in Purwakarta regency, West Java.

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The key to universal energy access is green

Distributed renewable energy technologies offer a promising solution, providing underserved communities with access to electricity while simultaneously decarbonizing grids.

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Under junta rule: Women walk past security barricades on Oct. 24, 2024, on a road in Mandalay, Myanmar.

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Myanmar’s military rule is crippling hope for young people like never before

Over the past year, Myanmar’s military junta has been enforcing mandatory conscription, targeting men and women of working age.

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Looking ahead: Government employees take part in a ceremony to mark the opening of the work year on Jan. 2, 2024, at Tegar Beriman Square in Cibinong, Bogor regency, West Java.

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Budget efficiency as opportunity for bureaucratic transformation

Improving civil servant capabilities through reskilling and upskilling becomes key to creating an adaptive and inclusive bureaucracy.

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Members of the Philippine National Police walk outside the Villamor air base where former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is being held after being arrested, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on March 11, 2025.

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Breaking impunity: Duterte’s arrest and new chapter in Southeast Asian Justice

More than a symbolic act, Duterte’s arrest signals the beginning of a new era in which no leader, regardless of domestic popularity or political influence, can evade accountability.

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People walk past the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 3, 2023.

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Will the United Nations survive Trump 2.0?

Actions by the US show that the Trump administration is not merely unhappy with certain international institutions. Rather, it is fundamentally opposed to any multilateral framework that even suggests equality among countries.

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Schoolchildren make their way to school on Oct. 14, 2019, as haze from forest fires blankets Palembang. Forest fires across Indonesia sometimes send air quality levels across Southeast Asia plummeting as they belch out emissions that aggravate global warming.

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Education first, prosperity follows: A thoughtful reflection on priorities

While the free nutritious meal program can alleviate hunger and malnutrition, it does not equip individuals with the skills necessary to escape poverty in the long run..

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