Darmansjah said that Indonesia is underpresented in international organizations such as the UN, UNESCO, UNICEF, IAEA, etc. For comparison, out of 240 international organizations in the world, some employ 46.700 people. However, only 94 out of those 46.700 come from Indonesia or about 0.2%. This is unfortunate given the massive amount of human resources and experts in Indonesia.

Darmansjah asserted the importance of working for international organization for Indonesian foreign policy. First, it elevates the image of Indonesia to the world. This is crucial because the participation of a country will build world’s respect toward that country. Second, it represents Indonesia’s interest internationally. “Indonesia’s interests will be represented more and accommodated internationally if the voices are spoken,” he said.

This is achievable if there are enough voices that represent Indonesia through its staffs in international organizations. These staffs will ensure clear delivery of information on the organization’s policy.

*Photo: Indonesian Ambassador to Austria and Chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Board of Governors, Darmansjah Djumala.

One of the factors that cause this underrepresentation is the people’s ignorance, especially academicians and professionals. Therefore, Darmansjah hopes that the workshop will improve Indonesian’s chance to work in international organization.

The workshop was presented by Pedro Alvarez Cobacho as the representative of Division of Human Resources of IAEA, who gave clear explanation about the registration and selection processes to participate in IAEA. IAEA is an international organization that are concerned with the use of nuclear energy as energy source or peaceful military benefit in the world. Besides professional workers that possess bachelor and master degree, bachelor students can also participate in IAEA’s apprenticeship. Pedro also gave some tips to pass the selection process from files submission to interview successfully.

The opportunities are open not only to science but also many other fields such as economy, finance, public relation, and IT. Pedro said that working in world’s international organization is a noble thing. More than for personal economy fulfilment, it is also for peace and better life of humankind.

Indonesian Embassy will give maximum support for applicants in international organization such as recommendation letter and many other kind of supports. There are many funding scheme available, from ITB, IAEA, or personal.

Reporter: Karimatukhoirin