August 6, 2025 | 05:30 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Australia's Minister of International Development, Small Business, and Multicultural Affairs, Anne Aly, and the Chair of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Alissa Wahid, signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the social field. The signing took place on Tuesday afternoon, August 5, 2025, in the Bromo Room at the Hotel Majapahit in Surabaya, East Java.
Minister Aly stated that this cooperation demonstrates Australia's ongoing commitment to fostering understanding and relations with Indonesia. NU and Australia have a long-standing partnership and history of collaborating to support community development in Indonesia. NU is the largest Muslim organization and has a strong reach down to the village level, covering over 40 percent of Indonesia's Muslim population.
Aly stated that the memorandum of understanding will further strengthen Australia's cooperation with NU in disaster management, education, and human development. It will also strengthen the relationship between the Australian and Indonesian communities through exchanges and cultural activities. Aly emphasized that Australia and Indonesia are close partners with a long history of friendship. "It is an honor to be in Surabaya, the birthplace of NU, to sign this important memorandum of understanding, which will strengthen the partnership and support community development activities," Anne said.
Minister Aly, the first Muslim woman in the Australian cabinet, represents the Cowan community in Western Australia, which is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its sister province relationship with East Java.
Alissa Wahid, the first woman in the NU's leadership structure, stated that the relationship between NU and Australia is longstanding. She said that signing the memorandum of understanding renews the cooperation established long ago. "This agreement further expands, deepens, and enriches our cooperation, including in addressing climate crises, government-sponsored student exchange programs, religious figure exchanges, scholar exchanges, and human development issues," she said.
She believes the memorandum will have a significant impact on more people within NU's ecosystem. Investing in the NU community will also impact Indonesia as a whole, she said. Out of Indonesia's 270 million inhabitants, Alissa estimates that 100 million are affiliated with NU. She said, "This memorandum of understanding provides assistance in terms of expertise, knowledge exchange, and other strategies needed to expand community activities."
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