by Deviana Dewi, Senior Program Manager, Poverty and Social Development at the Australian Embassy, Indonesia November marks my first anniversary working at DFAT – an opportunity to reflect on the work that I have done here. As an Indonesian national working for the Australian Government on multilateral development programs with the World Bank, …
Continue reading Early learning helps break the cycle of poverty
Launched in 2015, DFAT’s Women in Leadership Strategy tackles barriers to women’s career progression in the department, and seeks to enable all staff to reach their full potential. The Strategy applies to all staff, both Australian and locally engaged at one of our many overseas posts, and aims to ensure that all staff feel included, valued and inspired to do their best.
Each year more than 1,000 Australians donate their time and skills to volunteer in developing countries through the Government’s flagship Australian Volunteers program, helping to make our region more stable, secure and prosperous. On this International Volunteer Day I thank all Australian Volunteers – past and present – for their selfless contribution to regional growth and prosperity.
Australia Awards scholarships continue to change the lives of Indonesia’s future leaders, which has long-term benefits for Australia’s bilateral relationship with that country.
Australia’s relationship with Indonesia is strong and continues to grow. A key focus for DFAT this year will be concluding a deal to increase trade and investment opportunities between our two countries. We are also fostering research collaboration to find solutions to shared problems.
As one of the 13 members of Sesparlu Batch 18 — the Indonesian foreign ministry’s diplomatic training program — I had the privilege to be part of the program’s tenth anniversary intake with other diplomats from the Indo-Pacific.
In a few days, I will be joining over 100 of Australia’s Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Consuls-General in Canberra for DFAT’s Global Heads of Mission Meeting - where my fellow Ambassadors and I have been tasked to think about how to best position our country in an increasingly uncertain and fractious world.
My time in Indonesia has been transformative, both personally and professionally. I encourage all Australian students to take advantage of the New Colombo Plan initiative. Whatever their field, a well-rounded overseas experience in the Asia-Pacific region will help them gain a competitive edge in their careers, and, perhaps most importantly, help our generation of Australians better understand the dynamic and fascinating region we live in.
