Indonesia Pushes for Accelerated OECD Membership

TheIndonesia.id - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has called on ambassadors of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries to expedite Indonesia's accession process.

Speaking to several ambassadors at the Indonesian Embassy Residence in Paris on Tuesday evening, according to Antara News Agency, Hartarto expressed Indonesia's pride in being the first ASEAN country to seek OECD membership. He emphasized that full membership would align with Indonesia's Golden Indonesia 2045 vision, aiming to enhance national competitiveness, productivity, and investment to create jobs and promote sustainable economic growth.

“The priority for the Indonesian government is to increase competitiveness, productivity, and investment to gradually reach an 8 percent growth target,” Hartarto explained.

He also highlighted the benefits Indonesia would gain from joining the OECD, including expanded market access, capital, skills, and technology.

For Indonesia to achieve the 6–8 percent economic growth needed to escape the middle-income trap over the next 20 years, structural transformations across all sectors are essential, Hartarto added. The Indonesian government aims to complete the OECD accession process within the next three to four years.

To ensure alignment with long-term development goals, Indonesia has integrated its OECD membership into the National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN 2025–2045) and the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN 2025–2029). As part of the accession process, Indonesia will submit a draft initial memorandum before June 2025, ahead of the OECD Council Ministerial Meeting.

Minister Hartarto also outlined the support Indonesia will require during the accession process, including increased awareness and capacity-building through workshops and seminars, technical assistance, and the placement of Indonesian representatives at the OECD Secretariat. Strengthening relations between Indonesia, OECD member countries, and the OECD Secretariat will be crucial to accelerating the country's accession journey.