IIS UGM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Held a Forum to Discuss Health Diplomacy

Yogyakarta, March 16th 2023─Institute of International Studies (IIS) of the Department of International Relations of UGM together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemlu RI) held an Independent Policy Review Socialization entitled “Indonesian Health Diplomacy in America and Europe: United States, Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland”. The event was held offline on Thursday (16/3) at the Auditorium Mandiri of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of UGM. This event presented Spica Tutuhatunewa, Head of the Center for SKK America and Europe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia to present the results of the policy review; Lukman-nul Hakim, Director of IIS UGM; Muhadi Sugiono, Lecturer and Senior Researcher at HI UGM; Yodi Mahendradhata, Dean of FKKMK; and Rahman Roestan, Director of Operations of Bio Farma; and moderated by Zakaria Al Anshori, Associate Diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

The topic of health diplomacy was raised considering the large role it plays in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, especially regarding matters related to relations between countries, such as the provision of vaccines. “We see that countries in the Americas and Europe have advantages in the health and pharmaceutical fields, and can become our partners for future readiness,” said Spica. The four countries examined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are the United States (US), Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. This is based on 3 things; potential, challenges of possibilities, as well as the right strategy. In addition, Spica also conveyed other opportunities at the national, regional, bilateral, and multilateral levels.

Muhadi appreciated and considered that the study was comprehensive and had a strong basis. In addition, the SWOT and PESTLE analysis methods used are also able to map opportunities and challenges while designing effective strategies. According to him, the centrality and importance of today’s health issues require us to see health diplomacy as equal as high politics. Based on this perspective, Muhadi considers that the pandemic had resulted in a very intensive flow of diplomacy.

“The problem is that the diplomacy that had developed during this pandemic has two objectives,” said Muhadi.

According to Muhadi, diplomacy during a pandemic aims to build solidarity and equality, but simultaneously it is also intended to gain profits. This is related to Muhadi’s response to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs study, namely that the strategy undertaken should aim at long-term structural diplomacy instead of short-term transactional diplomacy. In addition, Muhadi also considered that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ studies tended to be based on the assumption that Indonesia’s health diplomacy was in a ‘normal’ global political context. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred during a very competitive global political situation.

“I would like to see in more detail how this study of health diplomacy is also seen in a large context which may greatly affect our current health diplomacy,” said Muhadi while concluding his presentation.