Griffith Asia Institute will this month welcome Dr Raden Mohammad Marty Muliana Natalegawa — a renowned diplomat and the former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Indonesia — to deliver this year’s Griffith Asia Lecture in Brisbane.
Dr Natalegawa brings deep insights on the challenges and prospects for leadership in Southeast Asia, having served in his role as the Indonesian Foreign Minister for five years, from 2009 to 2014.
The Director of the Griffith Asia Institute, Professor Caitlin Byrne, said the University is excited to hear from Dr Natalegawa, whose career has also included a stint as Director General for ASEAN Cooperation within Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an ambassadorship to the United Kingdom and Ireland.
“Dr Natalegawa is a distinguished diplomat, an experienced politician, and an incredibly influential figure in foreign policy circles across Southeast Asia,” Professor Byrne said.
“We are naturally excited and humbled to be hosting such a respected leader at this year’s Asia Lecture, and we expect the evening to be a truly enlightening, thought-provoking affair.”
Dr Natalegawa will use his platform at the Griffith Asia Lecture to delve into a range of regional issues, especially within the context of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“At a time of tectonic geopolitical and geoeconomics shifts as well as of other complex changes in the region, the Griffith Asia Institute — including its Asia Lecture series — provides a unique opportunity to deliberate on their potential critical ramifications,” Dr Natalegawa said of his visit.
In the years since leaving his governmental post, Dr Natalegawa has gone on to serve as a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation, a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, and a member of several international academic advisory bodies.
Dr Natalegawa is also the author of Does ASEAN Matter? A View from Within, published in July this year, exploring the role of the association from an Indonesian perspective.
Griffith Asia Institute’s annual Asia Lecture series has become a signature event for the centre since its inaugural staging in 2016, when former prime minister John Howard delivered the first address.
The series further supports Griffith’s lifelong mission to be one of Australia’s most Asia-engaged universities, realised through extensive teaching and research programs and partnerships with government, industry and educational institutions throughout the region.
This year’s event will take place on Wednesday 28 November, at the Queensland College of Art, from 5.30pm for a 6pm start.
RSVPs are open until COB Friday 23 November. Click here for more information.