Indonesian  Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi paid a working visit to New York, the United States. During the visit, she held meetings with a number of parties to discuss support for education in Afghanistan and Indonesia's candidacy for the Human Rights Council on Thursday (19/1).

As quoted from the kemlu.go.id, on Thursday (19/1), Minister Retno Marsudi met the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Rina Amiri. They discussed the follow-up of the International Conference on Afghan Women's Education (ICAWE).The International Conference which was held in Bali on 9 December 2022  resulted in political commitment and concrete support for the education and empowerment of Afghan women.

Minister Retno Marsudi further conveyed the importance of exploring alternative educational methods, such as online education, empowerment of Afghan women through informal education, and dialogue between religious leaders of Islamic countries and Afghanistan.

Minister Retno Marsudi also met the Permanent Representatives of countries that are influential on the Afghanistan issue at the United Nations, including representatives from the United States, Britain, Russia and China, who are also permanent members of the UN Security Council. She also held meetings with a number of Islamic countries, such as Pakistan and Turkey, as well as donor countries like Germany and Switzerland.

Separately, Minister Retno Marsudi also met the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. The purpose of the meeting was to ensure that the international community continues to provide vital humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

Minister Retno also  met the Permanent Representatives of Botswana, Burundi and Rwanda. They discussed Indonesia's candidacy for the Human Rights Council for the 2024-2026 period. During the meeting, Minister Retno Marsudi conveyed the bilateral closeness between Indonesia and each of those  countries and Indonesia's track record on human rights issues.

Apart from discussing humanitarian assistance and support for women's education in Afghanistan, Minister Retno Marsudi also shared Indonesia's leadership priorities in ASEAN in 2023, namely developments in Myanmar and the Indo-Pacific region.