Indonesia: A State of Permanent Potential?
VIEW EVENT DETAILSWe take a look at South East Asia’s largest economy as Switzerland is voting about the EFTA-Indonesia Economic Agreement

Joko Widodo in 2014 © Yulian Hendriyana
Video
Watch Now
Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia, a member of the G-20, and the world’s fourth most populated nation with a growing middle-class and a young population. After decades of colonial rule, military regime and elite politics, hopes were great for a better Indonesia when the ex-furniture manufacturer Joko Widodo came to power in 2014. ‘Jokowi’, however, got caught up too in the many contradictions modern Indonesia embodies, and most recently, the economic growth was heavily hit by Covid-19. The country so often coined as 'the next big thing' has not yet managed to live up to its reputation and keeps a marginal global presence.
As Switzerland is about to take a referendum on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the EFTA States and Indonesia, we will have a closer look at the diverse archipelago nation: What has the country aspired to and achieved in the last decades? What are its main challenges and global ambitions? And what role does the agreement with EFTA play amid its economic and foreign trade developments?
For these and more questions, we’ll be talking to Mrs. Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of the Sintesa Group, and Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, former Indonesian deputy foreign minister and Founder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia. This webcast is moderated by Mark Dittli, Editor of The Market NZZ.
If you're interested in knowing more about the pros and cons of palm oil, revisit this conversation from last year with Jaboury Ghazoul, ETH Professor of Ecosystem Management.
About the Webcast
This webcast is co-hosted by The Market NZZ.
It is open to the public. You can register for the webcast to participate on the conference platform Zoom.
All our public webcasts are recorded and published on our global YouTube channel and event recap page. Webcasts – no matter where you are, you can stay connected!


Dr. Dino Patti Djalal is Founder of Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI). Previously, he was a career diplomat and ambassador, best selling author, accomplished academic, youth activist, and leader of the Indonesian diaspora community. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada); a Masters Degree in Political Science from Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada), and a Phd in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (London, UK). In 2004, when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono began his term, Dino was appointed Special Staff of the President for International Affairs. From 2010 to 2013, Dino served as Indonesia's ambassador to the United States. In June 2014, Dino was appointed Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, until October that year. He has founded the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, which now has become the largest foreign policy group in the country, with over 90,000 people in the FPCI network.

Mark Dittli is a journalist and author in Zurich, specializing in financial markets and global economics. He is Co-Founder and Editor of The Market NZZ (themarket.ch), a new financial media platform that was launched in April 2019 in a joint venture with Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The Market NZZ publishes in-depth analytical and background articles as well as interviews on companies, global industry trends and macroeconomic issues.
Event Details
For event details visit https://asiasociety.org/switzerland/events/indonesia-state-permanent-potential For event details visit https://asiasociety.org/switzerland/events/indonesia-state-permanent-potential