On 23rd September 2025, President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia will address the UN General Assembly in New York. It will be the first time in a decade that an Indonesian president has taken the UNGA rostrum. For a country that prizes an independent and active foreign policy, a head-of-state speech signals intent as much as message.
If Jakarta uses the moment to set clear priorities and follow through in the UN’s corridors, the address can anchor Indonesia’s external posture for the remainder of the term.
Indonesia is slated to speak third on opening day, after the United States and Brazil. The placement implies expectations that Indonesia’s views will carry weight across regions, not simply within ASEAN. It also raises the bar. Audiences will look for plain commitments rather than broad positioning, and for a few practical offers that can be checked within a year.
A strong appearance would frame Indonesia as a middle power able to convene across divides, from the G20 to the Islamic world to the wider Global South.
The timing matters. Multilateral institutions are under strain, great-power competition over-shadows technical debates and wars test the basic rules that the UN was built to uphold. In such a setting, clarity has more value than flourish. Indonesia has long been seen as a careful broker, steady in tone and deliberate in public. The task now is to keep that reputation while adding visible initiative.
The doctrine does not need reinvention; it needs specificity about work Indonesia will lead, partners it will name, and timelines it will accept.
The Global South and ASEAN
UNGA is a chance to increase Indonesia’s credibility as a leading actor in the Global South. If the speech lays out practical ideas on development finance, climate adaptation, food security, and fair access to technology, and if those ideas are paired with steps that can be taken in New York, Jakarta strengthens the political capital it needs to convene diverse partners. Indonesia’s advantage is not ideological novelty. It is access across many camps and a record of keeping channels open when others close theirs.
A clear offer to translate Global South priorities into coalitions, funding streams, and timelines would show that Indonesia intends to move from respected neutrality to actionable leadership.
The same platform can reinforce Indonesia’s position inside ASEAN. Speaking early at UNGA and following up with concrete initiatives would show that an ASEAN member can shape debates that reach beyond the region. Suppose Jakarta links its U.N. proposals to regional work such as maritime safety in the South China Sea, disaster response and public health and a just energy transition. In that case, ASEAN is cast as a partner that delivers.
That link helps Indonesia carry regional credibility into global rooms and bring global resources back to Southeast Asia.
Reputation is not only a diplomatic asset. Investors, philanthropic funds, and development banks follow the signals that travel from New York to boardrooms and credit committees. A speech that matches ambition with substance can strengthen the view that Indonesia is a reliable convener, able to gather coalitions, manage differences and deliver results.
That view matters across the Global South, where many governments are looking for partners who can turn broad goals into funded programs, especially on climate resilience, food supply chains, and digital inclusion.
What to look out for?
The doctrine of bebas aktif will likely frame the speech. The test is whether strategic autonomy comes with clear choices about where Indonesia will take initiative, which partners it will work with and how progress will be measured. Listeners will watch for language that turns nonalignment into leadership by naming areas where Indonesia intends to table proposals, co-sponsor measures, or convene cross-regional groups.
Modest but specific commitments tend to carry more weight than sweeping statements because they are easy to verify and hard to walk back from.
Gaza will be central. Indonesia is expected to call for a cease-fire, protection of civilians, consistent humanitarian access, and a credible political track that does not collapse once cameras move on. The most persuasive passage would link those aims to steps Indonesia will support in the General Assembly or to work with countries that can unlock access for aid and de-escalation. The same logic applies to Ukraine.
Principles on sovereignty and territorial integrity can be stated in universal terms, and backed by references to international law and the UN Charter.
Expect a call to renew multilateralism that relies on tangible proposals rather than slogans. Signals could include steadier financing for peace operations and peacebuilding, better tools for crisis prevention, and development finance that eases debt pressure while backing climate resilience. In the Indo-Pacific, attention will fall on ASEAN centrality, maritime safety and practical risk reduction in crowded waters. Appeals that encourage hotlines, incident reporting, or shared protocols would show that stability does not require bloc politics. Climate and food security are natural platforms for concrete offers.
Indonesia can point to mangrove restoration, just-energy transition partnerships and resilient rice supply chains as areas where it can pledge resources, share lessons, and invite cooperation.
Credibility will hinge on verbs rather than adjectives. The strongest passages will pair goals with near-term milestones, identify partners ready to act and spell out who will do what and by when. Meetings on the margins that lock in co-sponsors or funding will matter as much as applause in the hall. The most important audience is often not the delegates in the chamber but the small groups that gather afterward to decide whether ideas move or stall. If those groups leave with assignments and timelines, the speech will have done real work.
This is more than a return to a microphone. It is a chance to turn respected neutrality into credible initiative at the UN and at home in ASEAN. If Indonesia pairs principle with specific actions and keeps working after the applause, the comeback can mark a step up in leadership for the Global South and a stronger voice for Southeast Asia in the global arena. If the address leans on generalities, a prized speaking slot will feel like a missed chance.
The moment will not reset the world, but it can set a course. The test is whether Indonesia uses the stage to launch work that is measurable, shared and sustained.
*The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of TDI.
Bintang Corvi Diphda
Bintang Corvi Diphda is Research and Development Substance Officer in the United Nations Association In Indoneisa, and a researcher in the field of international political economy. His work is primarily focused on the economic dynamics of the ASEAN region, analyzing issues such as regional trade integration, foreign direct investment flows, and the geopolitical factors shaping Southeast Asia's economic landscape.
