LocationsHRH Crown Princess Victoria visits locally-led solutions for health, resilience and nature during UNDP visit to Indonesia
September 11, 2026
UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
JAKARTA - UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, visited Indonesia from 4–6 September to see first-hand how locally led solutions are strengthening health systems, building resilience, creating economic opportunity and protecting nature.
The visit took the Crown Princess from cutting-edge health innovation in Jakarta to community-led development in Lombok, offering an experience to see how Indonesia is turning national ambitions into practical solutions for people and planet.
“The visit to Indonesia has given me a deeper understanding of how UNDP works together with partners – from multilateral institutions and on to local communities. I have been inspired by the people and communities turning local knowledge, innovation and natural resources into solutions for the future. From stronger health systems and resilient schools to protecting forests and oceans, these experiences show how sustainable development can create opportunities while safeguarding what matters for generations to come. It has been a privilege to experience this work on site in my capacity as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador,” said HRH Crown Princess Victoria at the conclusion of the visit.
Home to more than 283 million people across over 17,000 islands, Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest economy and one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. Its development trajectory is taking place at exceptional scale: strong economic growth, rapid innovation and ambitious national goals are unfolding alongside major climate, disaster and biodiversity challenges. The choices made in Indonesia today have significance far beyond its borders.
In Jakarta, the Crown Princess visited Indonesia’s Biomedical and Genome Science Initiative (BGSi), supported by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Global Fund. The initiative combines precision medicine with disease surveillance and now includes 10 specialized genomic hubs and 29 surveillance laboratories, strengthening Indonesia’s ability to detect health threats and develop more targeted diagnosis and treatment.
In Lombok, the focus shifted from innovation at national level to how development reaches communities.
At SMKN 1 Pemenang vocational school, the Crown Princess met students and teachers at a school rebuilt following the devastating 2018 earthquakes. Through UNDP’s Programme for Earthquake and Tsunami Infrastructure Reconstruction Assistance (PETRA), 14 public facilities in Lombok have been rebuilt, benefiting more than 150,000 people, while helping communities recover with safer and more resilient infrastructure.
At Pemenang Community Health Centre, the Crown Princess saw how digital innovation is strengthening essential health services. SMILE, developed by UNDP and the Government of Indonesia with partners, has grown from a pilot in 54 facilities to a nationwide system covering all 38 provinces, more than 10,000 community health centres and 3,000 hospitals. The system has helped reduce vaccine stock-outs by around 70 percent.
The visit also showed how protecting nature can create economic opportunity.
On the island of Gili Meno, the Crown Princess met communities whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans and learned about one of Indonesia’s first parametric coral reef insurance initiatives. Indonesia is home to around 16 percent of the world’s coral reefs, which support fisheries, tourism, food security and coastal protection. The initiative is designed to unlock rapid financing for reef restoration when rising sea temperatures put coral ecosystems at risk.
In Bayan, the Crown Princess met customary communities whose forests are closely tied to water, farming, culture and identity. UNDP is working with the Government of Indonesia and customary communities to accelerate the recognition of customary forests. Indonesia has committed to advancing recognition of 1.4 million hectares by 2029.
Beyond the programmes, the visit offered a broader experience of Indonesia’s diversity and culture. In Jakarta, the Crown Princess visited Istiqlal Mosque, the Tunnel of Friendship and Jakarta Cathedral, symbols of religious coexistence in one of the world’s most diverse countries. In Lombok, exchanges with customary leaders, entrepreneurs, students, health workers and coastal communities showed how culture, local knowledge and livelihoods are woven into Indonesia’s development story.
Since 1970, UNDP has worked with Indonesia to support national priorities across health, resilience, climate action, biodiversity and sustainable finance.
Media contact:
Emilie Andresen, UNDP Nordic Representation Office +47 46463687 emilie.andresen@undp.org
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