(AseanAll) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia officially unveiled the policy document “Integrating Indonesia and the Islamic World: Directions, Framework, and Roadmap” during a launch and dissemination event held at Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD), Yogyakarta, Indonesia,on 13 January2026. The event marked an important step in strengthening shared perspectives on Indonesia’s strategic role and engagement within the Islamic world.
The launch brought together more than 150 in-person participants and around 60 online participants, representing government ministries and agencies, universities, think tanks, and students. The broad participation highlighted strong cross-sector interest in Indonesia’s evolving engagement with the Islamic world as part of its foreign policy agenda.
The policy document was developed through a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Strategy Agency (FPSA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) Department of International Relations. Prepared in less than one year, from March to December 2025, the document drew on contributions from academics, subject-matter experts, and inputs from various units within the Ministry. Its formulation followed the direction of Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Anis Matta, who underscored the importance of Indonesia–Islamic world integration as a strategic process rather than a symbolic relationship.
Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela, Head of the Center for Policy Strategy on Asia Pacific and Africa Region at FPSA, emphasized that the document serves as a collaborative reference for multiple stakeholders, enabling more focused and coordinated joint actions in the implementation of Indonesia’s foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Irawan Jati, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Resources at UII and Chair of the Policy Output Drafting Team, explained that the roadmap aims to reinforce Indonesia’s identity and central role as a Muslim-majority country with the capacity to shape developments within the Islamic world.
Dr. Arif Rahman, M.Pd.I., Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies at UAD, noted the strategic value of the event for institutional development. He highlighted that the policy dialogue could serve as an initial foundation for the future establishment of the International Relations Department at UAD, while also strengthening global perspectives within the academic community.
The discussion was further enriched by contributions from Prof. Dr. H. Ibnu Burdah (UIN Sunan Kalijaga), Prof. Ai Fatimah Nur Fuad, Ph.D. (UHAMKA), and Dr. Yoyo, M.A. (UAD), who offered constructive insights on policy direction and implementation challenges. Through this launch and dissemination, the policy document is positioned as an adaptive reference that can continue to evolve in response to global dynamics and expanding cooperation opportunities.
