Jakarta, 4 September 2026 – UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden arrived in Jakarta today for a four-day visit to Indonesia to see first-hand how the Government of Indonesia, UNDP and partners are working together to advance sustainable and inclusive development. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is also accompanied by H.E. Ms. Diana Janse, the State Secretary to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

“We are very pleased to welcome Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to Indonesia as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador. The partnership between Indonesia and UNDP has supported our development priorities for many decades, bringing together knowledge, innovation and resources to address development challenges and create opportunities for people and communities,” said H.E. Rachmat Pambudy, Minister for National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas of the Republic of Indonesia.

“Going forward, Indonesia will continue to partner with UNDP in translating Indonesia’s national priorities into scalable solutions, and in mobilizing the resources, partnerships, and knowledge needed to achieve sustainable and inclusive development.”

On the first day in Jakarta, HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden visited the Eijkman Building, accompanied by H.E. Mr. Budi Gunadi Sadikin, The Minister of Health, to learn about Indonesia’s Biomedical and Genome Science Initiative (BGSi), a national effort led by the Ministry of Health to strengthen precision medicine and epidemic preparedness. UNDP is supporting the initiative through technical assistance on policy and regulatory development, infrastructure, workforce strengthening, helping health facilities and professionals use genomic information to help patients detect diseases earlier, tailor treatment more effectively, and identify and respond to disease outbreaks more quickly.

Genomic science can help move healthcare towards earlier disease detection, more personalized treatment and better-informed health planning, while strengthening the country’s capacity to respond to future health threats. To do this, Indonesia is targeting the sequencing of 400,000 genomes by 2030 under the National Genomic Strategy 2026–2030.

HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden also had the opportunity to visit the National Monument, or Monas, a symbol of Indonesia’s independence, as well as Istiqlal Mosque and Jakarta Cathedral. At Istiqlal Mosque, The Crown Princess was accompanied by Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs, H.E. Prof. Dr. KH. Nasaruddin Umar, before visiting Jakarta Cathedral across the street. The two houses of worship, connected by the Terowongan Silaturahmi, or Tunnel of Friendship, offer a striking reflection of Indonesia’s diversity, where different faiths and traditions are part of everyday life, and where differences can exist side by side without keeping people apart.

“Indonesia’s development journey is ultimately about people. How new ideas can improve lives and bring prosperity, how communities can become better prepared for the future, and how Indonesia’s extraordinary diversity and natural resources can continue to support its people,” said Sara Ferrer Olivella, UNDP Resident Representative in Indonesia.

“This visit gives UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, HRH The Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden an opportunity to see some of these efforts up close, and to recognize the people and partnerships behind them.”

HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will next travel to Lombok, where The Crown Princess will witness first-hand efforts to protect coral reefs and ocean ecosystems while creating new opportunities for coastal communities. The programme will also showcase how investment in conservation can benefit both nature and people by supporting sustainable livelihoods in responsible tourism, fisheries and other businesses that depend on healthy marine ecosystems.

Lombok will also provide a look at another side of Indonesia’s development story: recovery after disaster. The Crown Princess will visit communities where investments in schools, health facilities and other public infrastructure following the 2018 earthquakes have been paired with efforts to strengthen resilience and improve livelihood opportunities for the future.

Together, the Jakarta and Lombok visits offer two very different windows into Indonesia’s development journey to pursue human development that affects every day lives, while protecting the nature that underpins Indonesia’s prosperity for generations to come.

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For more information, please contact:

• Emilie Andresen, UNDP Nordic Representation Office, email: emilie.andresen@undp.org, phone: +47-464-63-687

• Nabilla Rahmani, UNDP Indonesia, email: nabilla.rahmani@undp.org, phone: +62-812-1189-760

• Ardian Budhi Nugroho, Head of the Bureau for Public Relations, Archives and Executive Affairs, Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas of the Republic of Indonesia, email: humas@bappenas.go.id