Wendy Andhika Prajuli, a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Binus University.

Ten years ago, Indonesia began to pay greater attention to gender issues in its foreign policy. This
attention is evident both externally, through the promotion of gender equality in international forums,
and internally, through the encouragement of gender mainstreaming within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Kemlu). This approach aligns with the global trend of values-based diplomacy, which embeds gender
equality in foreign policy.

However, one year after Prabowo Subianto took over the administration, a crucial question arises: has
the commitment to a gender perspective in foreign policy been maintained, or has it regressed?
To answer this question, this article evaluates the direction and practices of Indonesian foreign policy
during Prabowo’s first year in office using a gender perspective, specifically examining the extent to which
Indonesian foreign policy has considered gender factors in its formulation and implementation.
Gender in Prabowo’s Foreign Policy

The evaluation begins with a review of the Asta Cita document, the 2025 Annual Press Statement of the
Minister of Foreign Affairs (PPTM), and the implementation of diplomacy during the first year of
Prabowo’s administration.

The Asta Cita document commits to “ensuring that every policy is inclusive and gender-sensitive,
prioritizing women’s empowerment.” However, the document does not provide a strong indication that
foreign policy will be conducted with a gender perspective.
Furthermore, the word “gender” appears only seven times out of a total of 88 pages, while “women” is
mentioned only eleven times. By comparison, the word “economy” is repeated over one hundred times.
It suggests that gender is not a priority for the Prabowo administration.

The 2025 PPTM, presented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono, makes no mention of gender
mainstreaming, either in its evaluation of the global situation or in its direction for Indonesian diplomacy.
In terms of keywords, the most frequently mentioned words in the 2025 PPTM are “diplomacy” (34 times)
and “economy” (23 times). The absence of gender issues demonstrates a lack of attention to gender issues
and a lack of continuity with previous policies that positioned gender as part of Indonesian foreign policy.
In practice, Prabowo’s foreign policy tends to adopt a masculine diplomatic style, strongly oriented toward
security and economic investment. Furthermore, diplomacy under Prabowo’s direct control is dominated
by activism, summit diplomacy, defense modernization, and the diversification of strategic partnerships.
Throughout his first year, Prabowo made 36 foreign visits to 25 countries, focusing on defense equipment
purchases, defense cooperation, and foreign investment negotiations. This shift altered the orientation
of foreign policy from a normative to a strategic dimension.

Regarding ambassadorial appointments, Prabowo has shown no initiative to increase the number of
female ambassadors. Of the 41 ambassadors Prabowo appointed throughout 2025 (March and October),
only 7 were female ambassadors, and 1 was a female deputy ambassador. It means that female
ambassadors constitute only 17% of the total number of ambassadors appointed. This number has
remained unchanged since previous years, when the percentage of female ambassadors appointed was
consistently below 20%.
Meanwhile, internally, Kemlu has not shown significant progress in gender mainstreaming. There are no
new policies, such as ministerial regulations, circulars, or institutional initiatives that build on the
achievements of the previous period, such as the issuance of gender-responsive budgeting guidelines
(2015) and the Ministerial Regulation on the implementation of gender mainstreaming (2020). This lack
of institutional innovation suggests stagnation in the internalization of gender equality values within
diplomatic institutions, such as Kemlu.

Why Have Gender Issues Disappeared from Foreign Policy?
The lack of attention to gender issues in foreign policy during the Prabowo era is primarily due to
Prabowo’s strong involvement in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. It is compounded
by Prabowo’s track record of consistently failing to prioritize gender issues. The combination of these two
factors plays a central role in the current decline in gender attention in Indonesian foreign policy.
In contrast to the Joko Widodo era, when Kemlu was relatively autonomous in formulating its diplomatic
agenda due to minimal presidential involvement, Prabowo has demonstrated a personalistic foreign
policy model. Prabowo actively leads the direction of diplomacy. This pattern limits Kemlu’s initiative, both
institutionally and individually, to develop normative agendas, such as gender mainstreaming.
Institutionally, the strong presidential control hinders Kemlu in implementing Presidential Instruction No.
9/2000 concerning Gender Mainstreaming in National Development in the realm of foreign policy.
Individually, the foreign minister’s close ties to the president and lack of experience in gender equality
issues further weaken internal advocacy for gender-based diplomacy.

In addition to political factors, cultural factors also contribute to the omission of gender issues from
Indonesian foreign policy. The masculine orientation of foreign policy has resulted in gender and other
emancipatory issues being sidelined and neglected in foreign policy implementation.
The loss of gender mainstreaming in foreign policy has caused Indonesia to lose its position as a normative
entrepreneur on gender equality issues. It is a role that Indonesia began cultivating 10 years ago by
promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment both regionally and internationally, despite
ongoing domestic gender issues. This stagnation has the potential to weaken Kemlu’s capacity to build
inclusive and responsive diplomatic institutions that promote social justice, particularly gender equity.
Conclusion

One year of the Prabowo administration has demonstrated a tendency to depoliticize gender issues in
Indonesian foreign policy. The centralization of diplomatic power in the president, the implementation of
a masculine foreign policy, and weak institutional initiatives within Kemlu have contributed to the
disappearance of the gender equality agenda from Indonesian diplomatic practice. If this situation
persists, Indonesia is at risk of regressing and falling behind global trends toward an increasingly feminist
and pro-gender orientation in the implementation of foreign policy.

Therefore, the Prabowo administration needs to pay greater attention to gender issues, including in the
implementation of Indonesian foreign policy. At least four steps are required to restore a gender
perspective to Indonesian foreign policy. First, provide Kemlu with greater autonomy to determine the
direction and dynamics of foreign policy. Second, strengthen gender mainstreaming and encourage Kemlu
to consistently incorporate gender initiatives into all its actions, both internally and externally.
Third, increase the representation of female diplomats in top positions at Kemlu and ensure greater
involvement of female diplomats in strategic diplomatic decision-making processes, both internally and
externally. Finally, integrate gender issues into the foreign policy priority agenda.