Indonesia was re-elected as Shepherd of the ASEAN Smart City Network (ASCN) at the 8th ASCN annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 9-11 September 2025. Indonesia secured supports from ASEAN members to carry out the role for the second term (2026-2028). The election of Indonesia shows the recognition of ASEAN countries towards Indonesia’s leadership in ASEAN. Indonesia is trusted to continue to maintain the sustainability of ASEAN’s commitments to advance smart cities that have been agreed upon since ASCN was formed in 2018. Previously, Indonesia was elected as ASCN shepherd in 2023 at the 6th ASCN annual meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
In the annual meeting, the Indonesian delegation was led by the Director of Urban Areas and State Borders of the Ministry of Home Affairs as the National Representative – Alternate representing the Director General of Bina Adwil as the National Representative, and accompanied by the Director of ASEAN Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives of the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia.
Also attending the annual meeting were representatives from pilot smart cities in Indonesia, namely Jakarta, Makassar, Banyuwangi, and Sumedang. During the meeting, each representative conveyed the progress achieved in building smart cities in their respective regions. The Jakarta Provincial Government presented progress related to the development of the JAKI application and the integration of Jaklingko transportation system. Representatives from Makassar City presented telemedicine and Smart E-Tax services, Banyuwangi City with Jagoan Banyuwangi and the Digital Public Service Mall, while representatives from Sumedang presented progress in building the Village E-Office SuperApp.
The Indonesian delegation also emphasized the alignment of the smart city vision with President Prabowo’s Asta Cita, which are priorities for President Prabowo’s leadership: economic equality, superior human resources, and environmental sustainability. Its role as a Shepherd is expected to support the acceleration of smart city development in Indonesia.
As ASCN Shepherd, Indonesia will continue to encourage collaboration, sharing of best practices, and development of ASCN digital platforms towards a resilient, green, inclusive, and culturally diverse ASEAN Smart Future.
Indonesia plays a key role in supporting and providing input to the ASCN Chairmanship, as well as collaborating with the ASEAN Secretariat, to ensure the sustainability and smooth running of ASCN’s development programs and initiatives to realize smart, sustainable, and resilient cities in the ASEAN region.
The 8th ASCN annual meeting took the theme “ Fostering Stronger Cooperation Towards a Common Goal for Smart and Sustainable Urban Development in ASEAN .” The meeting was hosted by the Minister of Housing and Local Government of Malaysia as the Chair of ASCN for 2025.
The ASCN annual meeting continued with a Smart City Expert Talk Session on 10 September 2025, themed ” Integrating Smart City Solutions for Sustainable Urban Growth .” The session discussed how to strengthen collaboration with the private sector, develop effective governance and investment strategies, and formulate recommendations for improving smart city projects.
Also present at the meeting were several ASEAN dialogue partners, including representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Tourism, the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, and the United States Department of State. All three countries remain committed to supporting smart cities and sustainability initiatives in the ASEAN region.
As a concrete demonstration of Indonesia’s role as a Shepherd, the Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs plans to hold a capacity-building activity for representatives of ASEAN smart cities from Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. This activity is carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is supported by the Indonesian International Development Cooperation Fund (IndonesianAID). This activity is expected to accelerate smart city development in these countries with the involvement of a wide range of parties, including smart city experts and the Indonesian private sectors.
Author: YP Hermawan
News and image sources:
https://www.kpkt.gov.my/kpkt/resources/user_1/PROGRAM%20KPKT/ASEAN_2025/PDF/NARATIF-ASCN-BI.pdf
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