Jakarta. The Indonesian government is actively pursuing membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as part of its ambition to become a high-income country, a senior official said on Thursday.

Currently, Japan and South Korea are the only Asian members of this intergovernmental organization.

"Indonesia is considering joining the OECD. Why is it important? Because the OECD requires a high standard in the legislation and regulation-making process and in the type of regulations implemented by ministries and other state agencies," Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said during a conference in Jakarta.

Airlangga pointed out that Indonesia has been a key partner of the OECD for a significant period, benefiting from the organization's support in improving the quality of government policies and regulations. The country regularly receives OECD's policy reviews and dissemination of global policies and best business practices.

According to the minister, Indonesia's eligibility for OECD membership has been enhanced by its regaining of upper-middle-income status post the Covid-19 pandemic and its successful hosting of the G20 Summit last year.

When Indonesia assumed the G20 presidency, it introduced important initiatives like the Partnership for Global Infrastructure (PGI) and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), making the grouping more relevant to the current global situation, added Airlangga.

"We introduced many down-to-earth programs to the G20, which has never seen anything like this before. So hopefully, Indonesia will become the third Asian nation to join the OECD in the next few years," he said.

The Joko Widodo government has launched a vision aiming for Indonesia to achieve high-income nation status by 2045, coinciding with the centennial anniversary of the republic.

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