Today, there are approximately more than 150,000 Indonesian as well as Americans of Indonesian descent living in the United States. They live, study or work in different parts of the US. They come from different ethnicities, religions, level of economy and level of education. They come with different ideas, different skills and potentials. Further, there are also many Americans and American Companies alike that have a great interest in and have a connection to Indonesia. These are Indonesian Diaspora who can be a real force to help Indonesian development and to help change for a better world. Acknowledging the potentials of Indonesian diaspora as a social and economic forces for a better Indonesia and a better world, the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, DC with the support from Indonesian Consulates in the US is organizing a Congress of Indonesian Diaspora (CID) as a forum to connect and unite Indonesian Diaspora in the US and in other parts of the world.
Congress of Indonesian Diaspora (CID) will be held on July 6th to 8th 2012 in Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California. It will mark as a historic and very important event as it will be the first Congress of Indonesian Diaspora in the World. The event is hoped to reflect a new paradigm for millions of Indonesian diaspora across the globe.
CID aims to inspire Indonesian diaspora communities to connect and to unite themselves into one big community and create a tangible force in order to achieve a better Indonesia. Further, the event also aims to foster and implement concrete initiatives to empower Indonesian communities in the US, to support Indonesia’s economy, social and political progress, and also to strengthen US-Indonesian ties in these areas. CID will have a historical value because it will be the world's first grand meeting conducted specifically for Indonesian diaspora.
The event will feature inspirational speakers and interactive discussions on variety of topics. Some of the topics of discussions are “Connecting Indonesian Voices, Ideas and Skills to the World”; “Connecting Opportunities, Empowering Communities, Building Destinies”; “Entrepreneurship and Making Career Choices”; “Education and Scientific Literacy, Creative and Innovative Indonesia”; “Citizenship Issues: Legal Status, Dual Citizenship, Raising Diaspora Children”; “US-Indonesia Business Opportunities”; “Promoting Indonesian Culinary”; “Indonesian Students”; “Marketing of Indonesia’s Signatures”; “Immigration and Citizenship Regulations”; “Pluralism, Democracy and Good Governance for Indonesia”; “Creating Jobs and Forming Business in Indonesia”.
Some of the speakers that we are planning to invite will include Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economic Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister of National Education Muhammad Nuh, World Bank Managing Director Dr. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Dr. Sehat Sutardja (President of Marvell Technology Group), Om Prakash Lohia (CEO and Managing Director of Indorama Group), Chaerul Tanjung (CEO of the Group) and other figures related to the topics of discussion.
As side events, there will be a food bazaar/culinary, exhibition and job fair. The CID program will also include cultural performances, art and music. These performances will be held at the opening, the Unity and Diversity concert in the second day, and at the closing session. We are also planning to invite some of Indonesian artists such as Anggun, Denada, and Afghan and also Indonesian talents who reside in the United States.
At the end of the 3 days program, a “Declaration of Indonesia Diaspora” will be read and concludes the program.
The committee will provide a pray room, first aid kit room for all participants and playground facilities/Kids Corner (restricted only at the time of the event) for participants who bring their kids.
CID invites all in the US as well as outside the US. Inspired by the spirit of Sumpah Pemuda 1928, the participants are expected to join CID, independently and voluntarily. With that spirit, the CID will foster unity and togetherness. It will bring participants with different field and expertise, who will benefit from the forum as well as contribute their idea, aspirations and potentials for a better Indonesia and a better world. Interested participants must register to participate in CID. Registration form can be downloaded here or you can register through EventBrite: Congress of Indonesian Diaspora 2012 and it is free. Three out of first 1,000 registrants will receive a souvenir from sponsors. Interested participants may also do on-site registration at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 6, 2012.
