TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Foreign Minister Sugiono assures that the contribution of US$1 billion or Rp16.7 trillion for the Board of Peace is voluntary, and not a membership fee. According to him, it would be used for the reconstruction of Gaza.
Sugiono says Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto is “ready to participate,” but does not detail whether Indonesia will make the payment.
“The President decided to participate. But it’s not a membership fee,” he says at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
Sugiono explains that the Board of Peace was born out of the desire to resolve the conflict in Gaza, including reconstruction efforts in the Palestinian enclave. “And who will pay for the reconstruction? Where will the money come from?” the minister remarks.
The solution to the Palestine recovery funding efforts, especially in Gaza, comes from the boards’ member countries. “Therefore, the invited member [countries] are encouraged to participate in this,” he says.
The US$1 billion payment also secures the country involved a permanent seat on the Board of Peace; albeit, again, Sugiono reassures, it is not an obligation. This, he says, is stipulated in the charter signed on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
“All invited nations are entitled to become members for 3 years,” he says. “So, for example, if they participate with US$1 billion, they will become permanent members.”
Indonesia officially participated in the Trump-backed Board of Peace on Thursday, January 22, 2026. President Prabowo Subianto personally signed the charter of the Board of Peace during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Indonesia was one of the 20 countries present at the launch of the Board of Peace.
Syafruddin Karimi, an economics faculty lecturer at Andalas University, said Indonesia must critically assess the request for the US$1 billion contribution as a condition for permanent membership in the Board of Peace.
“It’s not necessary to heed the US$1 billion contribution request, this is where Indonesia must assert its stance openly and consistently,” he told Tempo on Sunday, January 25, 2026.
Syafruddin viewed the scheme risky as it could transform the peace forum into a membership transaction, a ‘pay-to-play’ scheme Indonesia must reject.
Instead, the government should emphasize that Indonesia’s involvement is based on a humanitarian mandate, not buying influence. He suggested Indonesia assert that should a financial contribution be required, it must be discussed within a transparent reconstruction framework.
Read: Amnesty on Indonesia Joining Board of Peace: A Blow to Global Order
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