ERIA and Indonesia’s National Economic Council Sign MoU to Strengthen Evidence-Based Economic Policy

Jakarta, 5 August 2026: ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe joined H.E. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Chair of the National Economic Council (NEC) of Indonesia, and H.E. Professor Mari Elka Pangestu, Vice Chair of the NEC, for the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ERIA and the NEC.

The NEC is Indonesia's principal economic advisory body, established by President Prabowo Subianto. The MoU marks a new chapter of collaboration to support Indonesia's strategic economic priorities, including industrial downstreaming, technological transformation, food and energy security, and national competitiveness.

In his opening remarks, President Watanabe expressed ERIA's appreciation for the trust and partnership of the NEC. He reaffirmed ERIA's commitment to ensuring that its research expertise, regional network, and international partnerships contribute meaningfully to Indonesia's national development priorities and to strengthening ASEAN's broader economic resilience.

The signing ceremony was followed by a talk show entitled 'Sound Economic Analysis for Indonesia and the Region in an Era of Global Disruption', moderated by Ms Rania Teguh, featuring Professor Mari Elka Pangestu and President Watanabe. The discussion explored the growing impact of global economic disruptions, including tariffs, export controls, critical minerals, semiconductor supply chains, energy security, and increasing pressure on the multilateral trading system.

President Watanabe highlighted ERIA's role as a 'think-and-do tank' that supports not only policy research but also practical implementation. He noted that ERIA contributes sector-specific evidence, cross-country comparisons, regional policy dialogue, and practical initiatives that help bridge the gap between research, policymaking, and implementation.

The discussion also explored priority areas for future co-operation under the MoU, including trade resilience, supply chain diversification, the digital economy, the energy transition, co-ordinated industrial policy, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and regional energy security. Both speakers emphasised the importance of strengthening ASEAN's long-term economic resilience through deeper regional co-operation, stronger regional value chains, and more effective implementation of existing regional frameworks.

The event concluded with ERIA and the NEC reaffirming their shared commitment to advancing evidence-based policy solutions, supporting Indonesia's leadership in ASEAN and East Asia, and contributing to a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient region.