Image source: Antara News

President Joko Widodo officially kicked off the Indonesian Chairmanship of ASEAN at Hotel Indonesia Roundabout during the Motor Vehicle Free Day (HBKB) on Sunday, January 29, 2023. Participating in the event were Ambassadors and representatives of international organizations, as well as Ministers and the public. 

Taking over the ASEAN Chairmanship from Cambodia, Indonesia holds the mandate to chair the ASEAN Summit 2023 and its related side events. Resonating with the previous chairmanship, Indonesia adopts the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”. As quoted from the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s (MoFA) official website, Indonesia is determined to direct ASEAN cooperation in 2023 to continue and increase ASEAN’s relevance in responding to regional and global challenges, as well as is well as is well as in bolstering ASEAN’s position as the epicenter of regional economic growth for the prosperity of the people of ASEAN.  

After the handover ceremony at the last ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 13, 2022, Joko Widodo said that ASEAN “must be a region with robust, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth”. Furthermore, he said Southeast Asia “should become a peaceful region and anchor for global stability”. 

Indonesia's chairmanship is expected to be able to minimize the various impacts of the global disruptions, as well as being able to bring ASEAN into a more effective organization and have a bigger role as a locomotive for stability and prosperity in the region on various issues, such as climate change, cybersecurity, digital economy, and regional supply chain disruption. In this regard, Indonesia aims to create a strong foundation of cooperation as a form of legacy so that ASEAN can face all kinds of challenges in an agile way as one region.  

With high hopes to duplicate the success of the G20 Presidency last year, extensive preparations have been made to support the coming ASEAN Summit which will take place in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, as well as the other 300 meetings on the political-security, economic, and social-cultural pillars.  

Additionally, In the spirit of promoting tourism destinations, high-level meetings will also be held outside Jakarta, where the ASEAN Secretariat is located. These locations include Bali, Balikpapan, Labuan Bajo, Lombok, Makassar, Medan, Surabaya, Surakarta, and Yogyakarta.