The President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto represented by the Minister of Communications and Digital of the Republic of Indonesia Meutya Hafid addresses 1,468 delegates from 26 countries at World Public Relations Forum 2024
Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb.
Shalom
Om Swastyastu
Namo Buddhaya
Salam Kebajikan
Salam Sejahtera
Boy Kelana Soebroto, Chairman of Indonesia Public Relations Association (Perhumas), Director of Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, Head of Corporate Communications of Astra, Indonesia. That’s a long, and many jobs you have to do, Mr. Boy.
Professor Justin Green, president and chief executive officer, Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management Ireland. Metadarma Saputra, co-founder and CEO, Kata Data. The Honorary Council of Perhumas, the advisory board of Perhumas, and the board of experts of Perhumas, central board management of Perhumas, including Perhumas branch management body and Perhumas youth.
Ladies and gentlemen, a very good afternoon.
I'm speaking at this forum on behalf of the president of the Republic of Indonesia, who is unable to join us today for an important official visit abroad, and I extend the president's greetings to all participants of the World Public Relations Forum. I was told by Justin that there are more than 26 countries who are sending the representatives here. So again, very well very warm welcome to you all. It's an honor to stand before this distinguished forum and share insight on how Indonesia cultivates its national identity through culture, values, and history to shape global perspective of our nation. In this era of rapid digital transformation, unprecedented opportunities exist to showcase a nation's cultural heritage on the international stage.
Recognizing this potential, Indonesia is actively accelerating its digital transformation to enhance all sectors including cultural domain. Indonesia's cultural heritage is remarkably rich and diverse. As of 2024, the nation has formally recognized almost 2,000 intangible cultural heritage. 13 of which have been inscribed on UNESCO's representative list of the intangible cultural heritage. The government is committed to identifying and also authenticating further intangible cultural heritage with a goal of registering 1,238 items by the end of 2024.
Furthermore, Indonesia has designated 4,859 Cultural Heritage Sites as national treasures and maintains a network of 450 museums. These invaluable assets embody the nation's values and are essential for transmissions for our future generation. With a population of 221,000,000 people, of which dominated by Gen Z, around 34.4 percent, and also millennials, which accumulates about 30.62%, Indonesia poses significant demographic advantage. These generations can play a very pivotal role in cultivating and strengthening the national branding.
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and honored members of the World Public Relations Forum, Indonesia has implemented various approach to introduce its cultural heritage globally, including cultural diplomacy through postage stamps.
Stamps serve not only as promotional instruments, but also to convey messages on national identity, cultural values, and also natural world. Special series such as the ASEAN Para Games, or APG, launched during the cultural parade in Solo, and also the Borobudur Glitch Stamps issued during the G20 Cultural Ministers' Meetings exemplify cultural diplomacy aimed at the international community. This commitment is further strengthened through joint stamp issuance with other countries, such as those featuring the Ramayana story from Indonesia, and Thai, Wayang, or Puppet Show. And also the commemorative stamps celebrating 70 years of Indonesia China diplomatic relations, doomed with images of the panda, golden garuda, Bali’s barong, and the Great Wall. By utilizing stamps as instruments of cultural diplomacy, Indonesia actively showcased the richness of its heritage while enhancing global recognition.
And this effort underscore Indonesia's commitment to promoting its cultural legacy as part of its global identity. Now moving on to digitalization as a medium for building and strengthening national identity. Ladies and gentlemen, in this digital era, strategic narrative approaches have become vital instruments in nation branding strategies. One of Indonesia's intangible cultural asset, Bhineka Tunggal Ika, or unity in diversity, and Gotong Royong, or mutual cooperation, must be consistently promoted as a reference for global audiences. Endorsement from influential international figures should be documented and narrated as part of Indonesia's cultural diplomacy.
For instance, in 2018, Christine Lagarde, then managing director of the International Monetary Fund, highlighted Bhineka Tunggal Ika and also Gotong Royong as key factors in Indonesia's economic resilience over the past 2 decades. Similarly, during the 2024 visit to Indonesia, Pope Francis praised Bhineka Tunggal Ika as unifying cultural values for achieving global peace. Recognizing the power of digital platform, Indonesia leverages technology and social media to strengthen its image. This includes utilizing artificial intelligence or AI to create and disseminate diverse cultural contents, such as arts, music, and tradition practices through personalized platforms.
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guest. In the era of digital transformation where data and information flow abundantly, Indonesia's prioritize digital literacy program as integral components of education and public awareness campaign. This initiative empowers citizens to critically assess and verify information accuracy before sharing. Social media platforms are actively encouraged to monitor and also to mitigate the spread of misinformation by identifying and removing harmful content, while ensuring transparency in new sources to uphold information integrity. Artificial intelligence and big data analytics are employed to detect and monitor millions of negative contents in real time, enabling swift and accurate governmental responses. Regionally, Indonesia is also committed to maintaining a safe and healthy digital space by initiating the ASEAN guideline on management of government information in combating fake news and also disinformation in the media.
This guideline is a key deliverable outcome during Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship in 2023, represents a significant step in addressing the global challenge of misinformation. To close, to strengthen our collective commitment, I urge collaborative efforts in managing positive narratives through cultural diplomacy and the strategic utilizations of media. By leveraging the power of cultural diplomacy, we can foster mutual understanding, respect diversity, and appreciate the unique cultural heritage of every nation.
Lastly, I would also like to appreciate the global alliance, Katadata, Perhumas, for organizing this event. I hope that this forum, faster collaboration that will continue to advance the public relations and communication management industry, not only in Indonesia, but globally.
Thank you very much.
Wassalamualaikum Wr Wb
Shalom
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om
Namo Buddhaya
Meutya Hafid
Minister of Communications and Digital of the Republic of Indonesia
Meutya Hafid, Minister of Communications and Digital of the Republic of Indonesia