I have resumed my work early this year by visiting Ambon. A visit that reaffirmed again how wonderful, diverse and beautiful this country is. I dearly hope the borders will open soon again so others may experience Indonesia as well in all its beauty.

At the Embassy, the year 2022 started for us with full doses of energy. Last week, our cultural venue the Erasmus Huis opened the multimedia exhibition ‘The Migrant’ by Anaïs López, which is displayed until March 6.

The exhibition tells the story of a Javanese bird’s remarkable journey and initiates discussions on migration, identity, and human-animal relationships. For those who are not able to visit Erasmus Huis, they can visit Erasmus Huis online via our newly launched Google Arts and Culture page: bit.ly/GACErasmusHuis

Last Thursday, our partner KEMITRAAN closed a three-year program with a celebrative event in the Erasmus Huis. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD provided digital opening remarks.

The overarching theme of protection for human rights defenders, especially in the environmental sector, is an important one for the Netherlands. These human rights defenders (including journalists) can be of assistance to the government. As their eyes and ears on the ground, as their critical partner. And at the same time deserve protection from the government. Good to be able to use the Erasmus Huis again as a safe space for dialogue and discussions!

The Indonesian G20 Presidency has gone to full speed. Soon we expect the first of many high level meetings in Indonesia, with Dutch presence as well. On that note, our newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra already had a first phone call with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi where they discussed the G20 agenda and reaffirmed the excellent bilateral relationship between Indonesia and the Netherlands.

Finally some words on Covid: we are bracing for the impact of the Omicron wave which will hit Indonesia hard in the next few weeks. It’s expected that the wave will be steep but short, with a high number of infections but a lower health impact than before.

Unfortunately, together with the DNC, DBN, and W72 we had to decide to postpone the New Year’s reception scheduled for 4 February to a later date. The Embassy will remain open, applying strict health protocols. But there is light at the end of the tunnel: I’m pretty optimistic that we will be entering a relatively long period of calm from March/April onwards, which will allow all of us to make up for what we have
missed over the last two years.

So I’m happy to end on a positive note, wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2022!