VZCZCXRO9103
OO RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDT RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK
RUEHLH RUEHPB RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHJA #1269/01 2101034
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 291034Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2956
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1054
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 JAKARTA 001269 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS 
S/P (GREG BEHRMAN) 
NSC FOR J.BADER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SCUL SOCI KISL EAID ECON ID XF
 
SUBJECT: INDONESIA--REALIZING THE PRESIDENT'S CAIRO VISION 
 
REF: A. STATE 71325 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 1194 
     ¶C. JAKARTA 1193 
     ¶D. JAKARTA 1262 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Expanded and more robust engagement with 
Indonesia is critical to the President's vision of a new 
relationship with the Muslim world as outlined in his Cairo speech. 
Now is the time to advance key elements of our Comprehensive 
Partnership with Indonesia--the Muslim world's largest and most 
successful democracy.  However, Mission needs additional and 
continued engagement from Washington.  With action and resources, we 
can scale up many of our successful programs in the areas of 
education, economic development, science and technology, health and 
interfaith dialogue.  This cable contains action requests in 
paragraphs 7,13,15,17,18,19,and 20.  END SUMMARY. 
 
EDUCATION 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Education is the Mission's highest priority.  We are 
working to improve the quality of education in Indonesia, double the 
number of Indonesians studying in the United States over the next 
five years, and increase the university-to-university partnerships. 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) English Instruction: In order for Indonesians to study in 
the U.S., they must have better English.  We are working to improve 
the quality of English teaching but we can do more.  For the coming 
school year, our English Language Fellows program will fund 13 
American English language experts, Fulbright will fund 32 recent 
American graduates to teach English in Indonesian high schools, and 
our English language immersion program will send 42 Indonesian 
students to U.S. universities.  We launched a first-ever reality 
English-language television show called "Walk the Talk."  This 
innovative program is broadcast throughout Indonesia and reaches 
approximately 3-4 million people. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Increasing Student Exchanges:  The U.S. lags far behind 
other English-speaking countries as a study destination, largely due 
to cost.  Through Mission's efforts, the Indonesian government has 
pledged to fund up to 400 Master's and doctoral scholarships, and 
doctoral research and post-doctoral research grants over the next 
four years-the first pledge of its kind. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) University Partnerships: We are working to strengthen 
partnerships between American and Indonesian universities through 
twinning agreements, collaborative research, and study abroad 
programs.  Mission recently hosted 30 high-level representatives 
from leading American institutions.  Visits such as these are key to 
building new initiatives, such as the proposed University of 
Washington-University of Indonesia law school twinning program. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Elementary and secondary education:  Our programs help 
Indonesian children acquire critical thinking skills in both 
religious and secular schools.  This project is one of the pillars 
of our bilateral education partnership.  The USG is promoting the 
use of innovative teaching and learning approaches in the Indonesian 
classroom. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) ACTION REQUESTS:  To move forward on our educational 
priorities Mission requests the following: 
 
-- We need more funding for English language programs.   This will 
create more English study opportunities for Indonesian students and 
better equip them for study at American colleges and universities. 
 
 
-- The USG should increase funding for Fulbright and USAID 
Participant Training scholarships to shape the next generation of 
Indonesian leaders. 
 
-- Mission requests the Department identify a U.S. partner, such as 
USINDO, to coordinate these relationships.  U.S. government funding 
for new university partnerships will greatly increase the quality 
and quantity of these linkages. 
 
-- Increased resources for elementary and secondary education will 
help ensure that more Indonesian students who will be prepared to 
study at the university level. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Peace Corps Initiative:  We are nearing completion of our 
efforts to bring Peace Corps back to Indonesia after a forty-year 
absence.  The first tranche, expected to be on the ground by the end 
 
JAKARTA 00001269  002 OF 004 
 
 
of 2009, will include twelve education volunteers.  Mission seeks to 
expand the number of volunteers in 2010 to reach a greater number of 
rural communities. 
 
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: OUTREACH EFFORTS 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Our active public diplomacy outreach strategy has, in 
part, recently helped turn public opinion in our favor.  According 
to Pew Global Attitudes Project results from Indonesia, favorable 
views towards the United States rose from 37% to 63% favorable in 
¶2009.  Furthermore, for the first time in the history of the Pew 
poll, public confidence in Osama Bin Laden is lower than that for 
the American President. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Officers from across the Mission have engaged local 
leaders and mass-Muslim organizations to support their efforts in 
promoting moderate Muslim voices.  For example, our work with 
Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah - with 
over 30 million members - resulted in new civic education curricula 
and textbooks for more than 260 Islamic Universities, reaching up to 
2.5 million Indonesian students. 
 
RESOURCE REQUEST:  Additional resources will help us increase our 
outreach capabilities through Indonesia's mass-Muslim organizations. 
 Also, these organizations will play an important role in the 
bilateral interfaith dialogue, a component of our Comprehensive 
Partnership with Indonesia. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Youth Outreach:  Much of our public diplomacy work 
focuses on Indonesia's youth.  The Embassy engaged an average of 465 
university students per month last year through discussion groups, 
cultural events, and youth exchange programs.  Consulate General 
Surabaya and American Presence Post Medan each averaged over 290 
students per month.  Our 11 American Corners--housed in 11 
university libraries, 6 of which are Islamic universities-provide 
students with direct access to American research materials, books, 
media, and films.  We created focus groups of returned Youth 
Exchange and Study (YES) alumni to make our programming more 
effective. 
 
RESOURCE REQUEST:  We propose launching two new American Corners in 
the remote, underserved areas of Kalimantan and Papua.  Students in 
these areas have little access to reliable information about the 
United States and would greatly benefit from the research materials 
and programming that American Corners can bring to these regions. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) We have proposed the construction of a high-tech, 
21st-century public diplomacy outreach venue to target Indonesian 
youth.  "The American Place" will have dynamic, regularly-changing 
programming, involving public and private partners to provide a 
uniquely American experience.  Post held focus groups with young 
Indonesians, including returned Youth Exchange and Study (YES) 
alumni, fans from the Embassy's FaceBook page, and Twitter users, to 
help us ensure that the American Place is being designed with our 
target audience in mind. 
 
RESOURCE REQUEST:  Post has already requested $4.6 million to cover 
the design, construction, and staffing of the American Place.  Post 
requests that Washington fund this request. 
 
PUBLIC HEALTH 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Health Partnerships: We have begun discussions of an 
expanded health partnership with Indonesia and turned a corner in 
our sometimes difficult health relationship.  Key to this effort 
will be transforming our existing health cooperation-including the 
current Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU)-into a bilateral 
Indonesia-United States Center for Biomedical and Public Health 
Research (IUC) under civilian leadership.  We hope to announce our 
intention to create the IUC by October 1 and have the center fully 
operational in January 2010.  Our expanded health partnership will 
also create space for new government-to-government initiatives and 
for the involvement of academic institutions and non-governmental 
organizations in our health cooperation. 
 
ACTION REQUEST: Health Minister Supari hopes to visit Washington in 
August to discuss this initiative with HHS Secretary Sebelius. 
Mission recommends that Secretary Sebelius confirm her possible 
availability for this meeting as soon as possible. 
 
¶14.  (SBU) Maternal and Child Health:  We partner with the GOI and 
local communities to address maternal and child health issues, 
particularly among the poor and underserved.  The Mission will 
 
JAKARTA 00001269  003 OF 004 
 
 
continue to support the final stages of global polio eradication 
through surveillance and prevention until the region achieves 
certified polio free status.  Furthermore, we will continue to 
support the development of Indonesia's own capacity to combat the 
outbreak and spread of emerging diseases, including through 
partnerships to enhance locally-conducted joint laboratory and field 
research. 
 
RESOURCE REQUEST: With maternal and child health receiving 
additional attention, additional resources would allow us to expand 
efforts and partner with a wider range of stakeholders in addressing 
high maternal and neonatal mortality rates, particularly in 
vulnerable communities. 
 
¶15.  (SBU) Women's Empowerment: Indonesia was suggested as a pilot 
country for a new Presidential Cairo initiative designed to help 
women and children reach their full potential.   The project 
outlines a cross-sectional approach to promote women's empowerment 
through well-timed, targeted, and multi-sector interventions, such 
as health services, job training, and civic education.   The goal is 
to develop comprehensive programs to target specific age groups over 
time. 
 
ACTION REQUEST:  Mission requests the Department through the Cairo 
Initiative Inter-agency process chose Indonesia for this pilot 
project. 
 
INTERFAITH DIALOGUE 
 
¶16.  (SBU) Discussions are underway between Mission and the GOI to 
develop a bilateral interfaith dialogue as a component of the 
Comprehensive Partnership.  Proposed themes for the dialogue 
include: combating negative stereotypes of Islam, empowering 
moderate Muslim voices within both the United States and Indonesia, 
and working to further strengthen these moderate voices (Ref D). 
 
¶17.  (SBU) Mission established a "Muslim Engagement Working Group" 
to improve inter-agency cooperation to employ innovative ways to 
involve Indonesian civil society in the implementation of the 
President's engagement agenda. 
 
ACTION REQUEST:  We request that Special Representative to Muslim 
Communities Farah Pandith play a critical role in an interfaith 
dialogue with Indonesia and we encourage her to visit as soon as 
possible.  Mission recommends the Department work with the White 
House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to 
identify potential people-to-people projects.  We request a 
Washington interagency team review the interfaith dialogue proposal 
and provide points to use with the GOI on how to move the process 
forward. 
 
ENTREPRENEURSHIP 
 
¶18.  (SBU) Post is reaching out to entrepreneurs in Indonesia.  We 
are encouraging NGO's like Endeavor to consider an Indonesia program 
that would identify and support high impact entrepreneurs.  There is 
interest from local stakeholders to hold the entrepreneur summit in 
Indonesia later this year per Ref A. 
 
ACTION REQUEST: We recommend Indonesia be considered as a location 
for the entrepreneur summit later this year per Ref A. 
 
¶19.  (SBU) Microfinance and Women's Empowerment:  In partnership 
with Indonesia's second largest private bank, we have mobilized 
$16.4 million for micro loans to small Indonesian enterprises with 
priority given to the tsunami affected areas.  The revolving loan 
program is funded in part with USG funds.  Women receive 
approximately 40% of the more than 8000 loan.  We support 
micro-credit activities by the National Cooperative Business 
Association in Aceh.  Conflict and tsunami affected areas are 
currently under consideration as a focus for new investments in 
value added agricultural production. 
 
ACTION REQUEST:  A request for financial crisis supplemental funding 
is pending approval from Washington.  These resources would support 
additional Development Credit Authority activity to target the 
communities most affected by the financial crisis.  Mission requests 
Washington approve this financial crisis supplement. 
 
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
 
¶20.  (SBU) Mission is actively working to broaden engagement in the 
area of science and technology.   Mission has previously  requested 
 
JAKARTA 00001269  004 OF 004 
 
 
(Ref B) Washington assistance in the following three primary areas: 
1.) continued momentum on the U.S.-Indonesia Science and Technology 
Agreement; 2) meeting with members of the Indonesian Academy of 
Sciences in October; and 3) promoting scientific programs in 
Indonesia that facilitate interpersonal interactions between 
American and Indonesian counterparts.  The key to success in 
Indonesia will be promoting personal scientist-to-scientist 
interactions. 
 
ACTION REQUEST:  Mission looks forward to the arrival of a 
negotiating team in early August in order to maintain momentum on 
Science and Technology Agreement negotiations. 
 
¶21.  (SBU) In addition to the proposals discussed in Ref B, Mission 
will expand support to address the causes and impacts of climate 
change in Indonesia, especially to communities most vulnerable to 
the impacts of climate change.  We will provide adaptation tools and 
strategies to these communities in areas such as resource 
management, health, and agriculture.  We will also establish a 
Center of Excellence on Climate Change. The Center will be the 
premier institution for applied research and technical support aimed 
at long-term climate change solutions in the region. 
 
 
 
HUME