Jakarta. The author of a controversial paper linking President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free nutritious meals program to the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize publicly apologized on Monday for listing Prabowo, French President Emmanuel Macron and others without authorization.

Dian Damayanti acknowledged responsibility in a statement posted on Instagram and also apologized to the Indonesian public over the controversy surrounding the 69-page paper.

She separately posted a copy of a letter addressed to IGI Global Scientific Publishing requesting that the paper be removed from its publication list.

"I extend my sincere, unreserved public apology for the misunderstandings, commotion, and potential reputational harm caused by my previous statements, published works, and unauthorized use of institutional letterheads and names," Dian wrote.

Her apology named several parties, including Prabowo, Macron and the Nobel Prize Committee.

"I acknowledge full responsibility for improperly including the names of various individuals, officials, and institutions without authorization, as well as for circulating material that caused public unrest and administrative confusion," she said.

Dian acknowledged that her actions were "improper, misleading, and caused unnecessary confusion and offense."

"Moving forward, I commit to exercising much greater caution, accuracy, and ethical responsibility in everything I share publicly. Thank you to those who brought this to my attention and held me accountable," she added.

The apology follows an investigation by the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry into the authorship of the paper, titled "Nobel Peace Prize 2026 Free Meal Program by the National Nutrition Agency; Building Smart Business for Food Security Industry and Indonesia's Economic Growth."

Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto said on Monday that an investigative team established last week had found indications that Dian had included the names of several purported co-authors and researchers without authorization.

Brian said the people listed as co-authors had not participated in preparing the paper and that most did not know their names had been included, let alone consented to their inclusion.

The ministry's investigation has also raised questions over Dian's academic credentials. She had presented herself using the titles of professor and doctor, but Brian said investigators found that she had not obtained either title.

"It turns out she has not obtained those titles," Brian said.

The government has previously denied involvement in producing the paper, while the Home Affairs Ministry has also said one of its officials was listed without authorization.

Prabowo's free nutritious meals program is one of the centerpiece policies of his administration and was promoted during his presidential campaign as a measure to combat malnutrition and stunting among children while improving nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The rapidly expanding program consumed approximately Rp 100 trillion ($5.6 billion) in state funding during the first half of 2026 alone.

There has been no confirmation that the paper constituted an official nomination for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

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