The UN80 Initiative is a system-wide reform effort to make the UN more effective, coherent and better equipped to deliver results in a changing world
On the occasion of his upcoming retirement, UN News spoke to Mr. Tharyat about the role of the UN development system in middle-income countries like Indonesia and how to make the most of its partnership with the UN.
What is the role of the UN development system in an upper-middle-income country like Indonesia?
The UN development system must position itself as a strategic partner, with its core value in four areas.
- Providing the expertise to translate the country’s needs to actionable development programmes.
- Connecting the government, the private sector, civil society, and international financial institutions to solve complex challenges.
- Functioning as a catalyst for innovative financing mechanisms such as blended finance, green bonds, and impact investments.
- Serving as a guardian of inclusion and universal norms to ensure that no population is left behind in the development journey.
Tri Tharyat (centre) goes on a field trip with UN development experts.
The role of the UN in Indonesia, is reflected in our Cooperation Framework 2026–2030, which is aligned with Indonesia’s national priorities and covers human development, environment and decarbonization, as well as economic and digital transformation.
The Framework’s ambition spans 18 strategic priorities across three outcomes, risking a spread of effort too wide to generate deep, catalytic impact.
Addressing Indonesia’s persistent disparities across its vast archipelago will demand a level of specificity that a national framework can only partially deliver. This will require strong commitment from provincial and municipal leaders.
What would you consider as the highlights of the UN Country Team’s contribution to Indonesia?
Any success of the UN Country Team is a success of Indonesia’s own vision and leadership. The UN has been a valuable partner in accelerating our national priorities.
There are three highlights that are measurable, nationally relevant, and future-looking.
- Accelerating stunting reduction through integrated nutrition and sanitation programmes.
- Supporting Indonesia’s COVID-19 response and strengthening its health system.
- Advancing Indonesia’s green transition and climate resilience.
How do you measure the success of those collaborations?
Stunting is a top national priority. The UN, especially UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Food Programme (WFP), have provided technical assistance, global best practices, and supply chain support for maternal health, breastfeeding, as well as water and sanitation.
As a result, Indonesia has reduced stunting prevalence from 37 per cent in 2013 to 21.6 per cent in 2022.
When COVID struck, WHO, UNICEF, and other UN agencies made life-saving contributions and helped with genomic surveillance, oxygen supply mapping, vaccine cold-chain logistics, and risk communication.
COVID vaccines donated by the COVAX facility are administered in Indonesia.
The UN supported the delivery of over 400 million vaccine doses, trained thousands of health workers, and helped maintain routine immunization during the pandemic.
When the world faced an unprecedented crisis, the UN Country Team stood with us, not as outsiders, but as trusted partners on the ground, from Aceh to Papua.
Regarding green transition and climate resilience, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have supported mangrove restoration, early warning systems, just-energy transition planning, and sustainable agriculture.
From protecting our coastlines to creating green jobs, these partnerships deliver real results for our people and the planet.
What advice would you offer to other Ministries of Foreign Affairs on how to most effectively engage with the UN?
First and foremost, treat the UN Country Team as a strategic partner in delivering your national priorities.
Specifically, there are three pieces of practical advice that I may offer:
- Align the UN’s Cooperation Framework fully with your national medium-term development plan, ensuring that every UN agency’s work program maps directly to specific national targets.
- Work closely together with the UN Resident Coordinator who can convene all UN agencies, unlock global technical expertise, and speak with one UN voice.
- Create coherence with streamlined UN programmes to ensure there is no duplication or redundancy.
What kind of UN would Indonesia like to see emerge from the UN80 process?
Indonesia would like to see a UN that is more responsive, effective, and trusted, and better equipped to address today’s complex and interconnected challenges.
Women work at solar power plant in Indonesia.
We expect a strengthened multilateral system that delivers real impact on the ground, particularly in supporting sustainable development, peace, and resilience.
This includes a UN that is more coherent across its pillars, more efficient in its operations, and more inclusive in reflecting the voices and priorities of developing countries.
Ultimately, the UN must remain anchored in its core principles while adapting to a changing global landscape. Above all, Indonesia envisions a UN that responds to the needs and aspirations of its broader membership, rather than serving the interests of a few.
How do you see Indonesia’s role in the UN in the years ahead?
Last October, we marked two meaningful milestones: the 80th anniversary of the United Nations and 75 years since Indonesia proudly joined this great institution.
We believe, now more than ever, that the complex challenges of our time can only be solved through collective resolve, shared responsibility, and genuine partnership.
This conviction is not merely rhetorical. It is reflected in the deep and productive partnership between Indonesia and the UN system here at home, a partnership built on trust, dialogue, and mutual commitment. We are determined to ensure this partnership continues to deliver real, measurable impact for the Indonesian people.
Indonesia is actively pursuing a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2029–2030, a candidacy that reflects our commitment to contribute more directly to the maintenance of international peace and security at the highest level.
