Indonesia Women’s Congress Eyes Deeper Saudi Partnership
JAKARTA- Indonesia’s oldest and largest women’s organization is seeking to expand cooperation with Saudi Arabia through cultural exchanges, economic partnerships and women’s empowerment initiatives, its chairwoman said following talks with the Kingdom’s ambassador in Jakarta.
The Indonesian Women’s Congress, known as Kowani, said discussions with Saudi Ambassador Faisal Abdullah Amodi focused on strengthening bilateral ties and identifying new areas of collaboration, particularly in advancing women’s participation in society and the economy.
Founded in 1928, Kowani is the country’s oldest federation of women’s organizations and represents more than 80 million Indonesian women. The organization said the meeting was intended to reinforce relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia while opening avenues for strategic cooperation at both national and international levels.
Kowani Chairwoman Yenny Wahid said Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform program had created new opportunities for engagement between women’s organizations in the two countries.
She said the Kingdom’s efforts to expand women’s roles under the Vision 2030 agenda aligned with Indonesia’s own tradition of women’s participation in public life, creating scope for broader people-to-people exchanges.
According to Wahid, Kowani is interested in developing cooperation in women’s economic empowerment, technology and political participation. She said the organization hopes to organize high-level forums bringing together Indonesian and Saudi women to exchange experiences and discuss practical areas of cooperation, including investment opportunities and business networking.
The proposed collaboration would extend beyond dialogue to include initiatives that promote commercial partnerships between women entrepreneurs from both countries, she added.
Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have been exploring stronger economic ties, and Wahid said women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in Indonesia could benefit from greater access to the Saudi market.
She said the growing commercial relationship between the two countries presents significant opportunities for Indonesian products and businesses, particularly those led by women entrepreneurs.
Wahid also said the shared Islamic heritage of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia provides a strong foundation for expanding cultural exchanges and strengthening people-to-people ties.
She said similarities in religious and cultural backgrounds could help foster closer cooperation, adding that Indonesians generally hold Saudi Arabia in high regard.
The meeting between Kowani and Ambassador Amodi took place earlier this month in Jakarta as both sides explored ways to broaden engagement on women’s empowerment and deepen bilateral cooperation in line with evolving relations between the two countries.
