WW: Indonesia’s Presidency for United Nations Security Council

May is indeed super special this year.

This is the month when the holy mont of Ramadhan starts, as well as Indonesia’s Presidency for United Nations Security Council.

Yes, Indonesia is the President of the United Nations Security Council for the month of May.

As you might know, Indonesia is elected as one of the Non-Permanent Members of the UN Security Council for 2019 - 2020. As stipulated in the rules of procedures, we are becoming the President of  UN Security Council in May, based on the alphabetical order rotation of all 15 Permanent and Non-Permanent members of this august body. Starting from the first of May, we took over the presidency.

Our Minister for Foreign Affairs, H. E. Retno Marsudi, chaired the series of first meeting during our presidency.

And you know why it's even more special?

We have delegations as well the UN Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, wore Batik and Tenun, the traditional fabrics of Indonesia.

Coming in varieties of patterns and colors, all those classic Batik are perfectly donned by ambassadors and head of delegations at the Security Council that day. 

As an Indonesian myself and avid lover of Wastra Nusantara or Indonesian traditional fabrics, I am super proud to see Batik was elegantly worn by Head of Delegations at the Security Council during the signature event of Indonesia on Peacekeeping, headed by H.E. Retno Marsudi, our one and only Foreign Minister.

The UN Security Council was chaired by Indonesian FM

Series of meetings and activities have been and will be conducted, including open debates on Peacekeeping and later on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict; Investing in Peace Photo Exhibition; and Arria Formula meeting on Palestine. I will be joining the meeting   in NYC on the third week of May as well

The photo exhibition

This is Indonesia for the world 🇮🇩🇮🇩🇮🇩🇮🇩 .

all pictures are taken by my colleague 📷 : @hpra76 .

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun linking up 

Women, Peace, and Security Regional Training - A Reflection

What do you have in mind when you hear the word WOMEN?

Do you think of your mom? 
Yourself or your sister and your female friends?
Do you think about all those incredible ladies who broke the barriers?
Ibu Kita Kartini, for example.
Or Marie Curie, Shirley Jackson, and Grace Hopper? 

Do you think about beautiful and elegant persons, famous for their beauty and brain?
Do you think about a multitasking individual, who can perform various tasks naturally?
Those who have given birth, raised children, contributed to their families and communities?
Those who are so close to us and part of our day-to-day live. 

Now, how about women, peace and security?
What do you have in mind?

The first panel on Women, Peace and Security Seminar

Do you think of all those fearless female ministers and diplomats?
Or rather women police or female negotiators?
Or perhaps your mom again, as she indeed a peacemaker at home?

To many of us, the concept of women, peace and security is indeed intriguing.
Being a woman myself, I do believe that women play important roles in sustaining peace, be it in the smallest scale like family, to a wider scope like society, countries as well as international fora. There are times when women were not included in any discussions regarding peace and people's welfare. It's the man's world out there..and sadly, women were out of the pictures in terms of decision - making process. 

Saying hi from PMPP - Center for Peacekeeping Mission

But then, if well take a closer look at so many conflicts in many parts of the world, women and children are always be at the vulnerable position. Many of them are even the fallen victims, firstly. Be it through the horrifying sexual violence, to abuse and murder. Even rape has been use as the tools of terror during the armed conflicts. Unfortunately, in many peace processes, women had been left out. Mediation and negotiation processes have been dominated by men for too long. No wonder sometimes women's specific needs and issues were not adequately discussed and addressed during that time.  This has been one of the many reasons why the issue of women, peace and security was raised during the discussion of UN Security Council, through the UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

And fast forward to 2019, I have been privilege to join the regional training on Women, Peace, and Security, held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. 

Regional Training on Women Peace and Security ini telah diselenggarakan pada tanggal 8 – 10 April 2019 di Hotel Fairmont, Jakarta. Pelatihan tersebut dibuka langsung oleh  Menteri Luar Negeri Indonesia, Ibu Retno Marsudi, dan dihadiri oleh 60 peserta diplomat perempuan dari 9 negara ASEAN, Papua Nugini dan Timor-Leste.

Pelatihan Regional ini juga sangat istimewa. Mengapa? Karena pelatihan tersebut adalah pelatihan sejenis yang pertama kali dilakukan di kawasan yang dikhususkan pada diplomat perempuan. Hal ini merupakan inisiatif Indonesia dalam upaya meningkatkan kapasitas perempuan dalam berbagai tahapan proses damai dan resolusi konflik. Pelatihan Regional sekaligus merupakan bentuk kontribusi nyata Indonesia yang saat ini tengah menjadi Anggota Tidak Tetap Dewan Keamanan PBB. Masih ingat kan, kalau Juni 2018 Indonesia terpilih sebagai salah satu Anggota Tidak Tetap Dewan Keamanan PBB untuk periode tahun 2019 - 2020.

Pertemuan dibuka langsung oleh Menteri Luar Negeri RI dan diisi dengan berbagai sesi menarik dengan  menghadirkan narasumber yang berpengalamn di bidangnya dari berbagai kalangan. Beberapa ahli yang hadir antara lain Dr. Hassan Wirajuda, Dubes Wiryono Sastrohandoyo, Dubes Hamid Awaluddin, Munawar Liza Zainal (Mantan Walikota Sabang), Suster Brigitta Renyaan (Gerakan Perempuan Peduli – Maluku), Mujtaba Hamdi (Wahid Foundation), Suraiya Kamaruzzaman (Bunga Aceh) serta wakil Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, Crisis Management Initiative dan Swedish Women Mediation Network. 

Various speakers coming to this regional training shared their valuable experience and we definitely learned a lot from those, in many cases, painful memories. You can imagine that we go through experiences during troubled times in Aceh, Ambon, and Poso. We went through dark and sad periods of time when people seemed to hate one another just because of their religions and/or races. Even simple thing like passing one village could cause communal wars, like what happened in Ambon. Or in the case of Aceh, when we had separatist movement supporters terrorized villages and local people, ending with tragic tsunami which annihilated so many, which at certain point of time, became the unifying factor between conflicting actors to sit down together and find the solution to the ongoing conflict. It was very inspiring to see how women played major roles in ensuring peace in their communities. Simple things sometimes, based on what we're doing on daily basis, but really works in contributing to peace. 

Kita diskusi banyak tentang berbagai konflik komunal yang terjadi di beberapa tempat di Indonesia dan perron Perempuan dalam mengatasi pertikaian yang terjadi. Seperti yang disampaikan Menlu dalam sabutannya, perempuan memiliki insting keibuan dan secara alami senantiasa mengupayakan perdamaian bagi lingkungan di sekitar. Hal ini yang membaut pecan perempuan penting, karena saat terjadi konflik, perempuan bisa membantu menengahi pertikaian. Selain itu, suara perempuan sebagian ibu maupun pasangan juga kerap didengar kaum pria, sehingga bisa mencegah berbagai bentuk tindak kekerasan yang bisa berkembang menjadi konflik berkelanjutan.

Dalam Pelatihan ini dilakukan juga beberapa kunjungan lapangan, di mana para peserta mendatangi  Rumah Rehabilitasi Sosial “Handayani” untuk anak berkebutuhan khusus serta anak-anak yang berhadapan dengan hukum.  Salah satunya Salah anak-anak yang menjadi 

Selain itu, kunjungan juga dilakukan ke Pusat Misi Pemeliharaan Perdamaian Indonesia (PMPP) yang terletak di Sentul. Here we got a chance to meet 3, among others, women peacekeepers from Indonesia. Super proud!

With Indonesian  female peacekeepers!

I will be back with more details of the seminar, only for you.

Stay strong, women, wherever you are!

Under the Blue Sky

Going back to New York City is wonderful.
Although I spend most of my time at the UN Headquarters and my previous office, Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations, I was blessed to be able to breath its fresh (and cold) air and enjoy the clear blue.
Well, although technically it's Fall, but the weather has dropped to single digit Celsius when I'm here. 
Looks like my plan to escape Jakarta's soaring heat works really well. 
Too well, as a matter of fact :)
It's not that easy to adjust from 39 degrees Celsius or 110 degree Fahrenheit to just 8 degree Celsius or 48 degree Fahrenheit, in just a week!

Mini me and I before the meeting 

Here are a few snaps that I took in between my meetings.
And tell you what...no matter how many photos I have taken (perhaps thousands of them), I can never get enough of the beauty of the sky.
Those clouds... never fail to amaze me!
Do you like watching the sky as well?

Mini me and I have been working too hard :)

one fine day..

Join us on Skywatch Friday and enjoy the beautiful sky from all over the world

International Day of Yoga

It's a bit late but Happy International Day of Yoga.

Every 21st of June, we are celebrating the International Day of Yoga, including in the United Nations Headquarters.

Since 2015, we celebrated that day by having a gathering at the UNHQ and had same brief sessions of Yoga with big audiences.
It grows from year to year and now we are celebrating it in the North Lawn of the UNHQ, which provide enough space for everyone and amazing vista of the East River.

Some of them are practicing..

The word “yoga” is derived from the ancient Sanskrit language and it means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of our body and consciousness.

Our body and soul.

Although Yoga originated in India, its usefulness has been recognized the world over.

Us, Indonesians  and many across the globe have long been fascinated by Yoga.

On its fourth celebration at the UN, with many fold increased participation, is a reflection of its powerful appeal. Many yogis as well as yoga's enthusiasts were coming and joining us that day, including ambassadors.

I was honored to be trusted as the Master of the Ceremony that day.
I loved it!

It was a day packed with great yoga sessions, as we enjoyed Yoga by 8 students from India, led by Yoga Expert Nisha Pushpavana, followed by Yoga on Mallakhamb led by Mr. Chinmay Patankar. 

Then the session continues with Yoga by 5 Yoga Gurus organized by Bhakti Centre here in NYC, led by Kevin Tobar and his associates,  Missy Kabinoff, Alexandra Moga, Lauren Baptiste, and Zachary Jackson. We also enjoyed some enchanting songs by members of Shri Chimney Centre here in NYC. 

Not to forget some remarks by Dignitaries, including Ambassador Syed Akbarsddin, the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, as well as Dr. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

It was really a great and healthy day.

Namaste. 

Namaste :)

Do you like Yoga as well?

Where do you usually practice? at home or in a special place?

Happy International Day of Yoga

Wordless Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girls

Super happy and proud!
Indonesia has won its bid to be one of the Non-Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council.
Hopefully Indonesia can continue playing active roles and contributing further to the work of the UN in ensuring world peace.

the Indonesian team on the D-Day..and of course there are more who have supported us along the way

It was an unforgettable journey involving hard works, non-stop negotiations, shuttle diplomacy and a mix of endless fun, tears, and joy!
I'm honored to be part of the journey and hopefully my small contribution to the whole process help.  We can smilingly remember all those coordinating meetings, receptions, coffee and tea events, Angklung performance, and more.
Now we are gearing up for the future works lie ahead and I wish the new team all the best, as I'm heading back to my capital this summer. Bon courage, guys!

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