Q&A with Donny Eryastha

3e8586aOriginally from Bengkulu, Sumatra, Donny currently works as a Private Sector Development Specialist with the World Bank in Jakarta. Prior to his current work at AusAid, he worked as an Advisor to the Minister at the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board. He has also worked at both ends of the financial industry, as investment banker and microfinance analyst.

We spoke to him about his experience in the Australia-Indonesia relationship, his career, and what it’s like to be a CAUSINDY delegate.

How did you first get involved in the Australia-Indonesia relationship? Where do you see it headed?

My first foray into the bilateral relationship was when I started working as a Senior Program Manager at AusAID in Jakarta. I managed the disbursement and implementation of Australian aid in Indonesia, focusing on providing technical assistance to the design and implementation of social protection programs.

The Australia-Indonesia relationship can only get tighter, with the increasing economic relationships between both countries and each country’s improved understanding of the strategic significance of the other country.

Where are you working at the moment?

I work as Private Sector Development Specialist at the World Bank in Jakarta, advising the Indonesian government on ways it can improve the country’s business climate and its investment facilitation processes.

On the side I lead Indonesia Mengglobal, a non-profit aimed at improving Indonesians’ access to quality global education.

How did CAUSINDY change your perspective on the Australia-Indonesia relationship?

CAUSINDY exposed me to a group of talented young Australians and Indonesians, each with genuine interests and areas of expertise in the other country. Interacting with them invigorated my optimism toward the future of the Australia-Indonesia relationship, as I could see first hand the growing and tightening bond between the two countries at the people-to-people level.

What advice would you share with anyone thinking of applying this year?

Don’t think twice, just apply! :0) I had a very fun and enriching experience last year and you should try to join this year! Make sure to highlight your exposure to Australia-Indonesia relationships when preparing your application.

CAUSINDY Update: Our first confirmed speaker

This week, the conference team are excited to announce Prof. Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar as our first confirmed speaker for CAUSINDY 2014. Professor Anwar was a key supporter of CAUSINDY in its first year, and we’re thrilled to be working with her in September this year.

Apply to become a delegate today, and you could be asking her questions this time in September!

New this week

Apply for CAUSINDY 2014

With applications now open, it’s time to update your resume andprepare your application for this year’s conference. Check out ourfrequently asked questions for more on the application process, selection criteria, and deadlines.

Apply now →

Dewi Fortuna Anwar to speak at CAUSINDY 2014

dewifortunaanwarThis week, the conference team are excited to announce the confirmation of Prof. Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar, M.A., as a speaker at the 2014 Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth in Jakarta this September.

Professor Anwar is currently Deputy Secretary for Political Affairs to the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. She is also a Research Professor and held the position of the Deputy Chairman for Social Sciences and Humanities at The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) from 2001-2010.

She is also the Chair of the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights at The Habibie Center, and a member of the Board of Advisors, The Institute for Peace and Democracy, The Bali Democracy Forum. Dewi Anwar briefly held the position of Assistant to the Vice President for Global Affairs (May-July 1998) and that of Assistant Minister/State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (August 1998-November 1999), during the Habibie administration.

Prof. Anwar was a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (2008-2012), a member of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC), based in Stockholm, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, ANU, Australia. She obtained her PhD from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, while her BA (Hons) and MA were obtained from SOAS, University of London.

Professor Anwar was a key supporter of the first Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth, and we look forward to her joining us in Jakarta this September.

CAUSINDY Update: Embracing fear and risk

With applications open for CAUSINDY 2014, we’re already impressed with the number — and quality — of applications we’ve received! Be sure to submit yours before July 1.

This newsletter includes some of our favourite reading from the week, including from 2013 delegate Ross Tapsell.

Selamat membaca!

New this week

Apply for CAUSINDY 2014

With applications now open, it’s time to update your resume andprepare your application for this year’s conference. Check out ourfrequently asked questions for more on the application process, selection criteria, and deadlines.

Apply now →

Video: Embracing discomfort and risk

“It was January, 1998, and we were so fixed on the quest for culture and local knowledge that we kind of forgot about politics…”

This week’s video from the first Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth offers a personal take on cultural exchange in the bilateral relationship.

Dr Jacqui Baker argues that “no amount of competence can triumph the simple human awkwardness of relationships” — instead, we should embrace discomfort and risk and reach for common interests and curiosities.

Jacqui Baker is a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific. She is currently writing a book on police reform and embarking on a new project on criminal monies in Southeast Asia.

Listen to her documentary Eat Pray Mourn on the Radio National website, or read her observations on producing the program.

This video originally appeared on the AIYA Blog.

CAUSINDY Update: Applications are open!

It’s been nearly a week since applications opened for this year’s Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth and already, we’ve been impressed by the quality of candidates. We’re looking forward to receiving more!

This is the first of a series of weekly updates from the conference team, which will cover news and events about CAUSINDY, as well as our favourite reading on the Australia-Indonesia relationship. Selamat membaca!

Get these updates by email

The year so far

Apply for CAUSINDY 2014

With applications now open, it’s time to update your resume andprepare your application for this year’s conference. Check out ourfrequently asked questions for more on the application process, selection criteria, and deadlines.

Apply now →

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