Depok, July 27th 2023. Universitas Indonesia (UI) through the School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG) successfully held The 7th International Conference on Strategic and Global Studies (ICSGS) which was held in a hybrid manner in Jakarta and Melbourne, on 24th–25th of July 2023. ICSGS is a routine agenda of SKSG UI that is held through a cooperation scheme with partners. In this year’s ICSGS, SKSG UI collaborated with Deakin University, Melbourne Australia, carrying the theme “Democracy, Development, and Digital Culture: Building Resilience after the Pandemic”.
The Director of SKSG UI, Athor Subroto, S.E., M.M., M.Sc., Ph.D., said in his remarks that he had high hopes for the results of this conference. According to him, the role of social sciences needs to be maximized in facing the post-pandemic period. He said, “As academics, we need to contribute in solving increasingly global problems. The participation of social scientists in finding alternatives to global problems is a responsibility that must be completed.”
In line with Athor’s statement, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Researcher Development and Alfred Deakin Professor, Deakin University, Prof. Dr. Matthew Clarke, said that social scientists have an important role in understanding and finding solutions to changes in the world, especially those concerning relations between individuals and between countries. “We are very proud to be partners with leading universities in Indonesia. Through this conference, the two institutions can normalize the changes that are taking place, as well as find solutions to deal with them,” said Prof. Matthew.
At the conference, there were three main issues that became the topic of discussion, namely democracy, development, and digital culture. Two Professors from Deakin University, namely Prof. Dr. Vedi R. Hadiz and Prof. Dr. Greg Barton. Each professor discussed these three problems from their respective perspectives, but both agreed that the problem of global inequality is the biggest problem globally today, including in Indonesia.
“Changes that occur in the global sphere will certainly affect the situation in a country. Similarly, global phenomena (such as inequality) in one country will be related to other countries because they are part of a global community. Therefore, it is time for social scientists to take concrete steps in resolving the three main issues raised at this international conference,” said Prof. Greg Barton.
Discussions related to these three topics were continued in a panel session which was held for two consecutive days by presenting speakers from various countries, namely Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The delegates who attended discussed the role of academics that can be carried out for the sake of solving global problems that exist in various countries.
The role of academics is in line with the Indonesian government’s commitment in addressing global issues, as conveyed by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Melbourne–Victoria, Kuncoro Waseso. According to him, the Indonesian government is fully committed to facing global challenges, creating peace, and realizing sustainable development. Therefore, the spirit of “Gotong Royong” as a way of life must be used as a basis for solving problems collectively.
