Jakarta. Indonesia recently said that its bid for a seat at the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) had received overwhelming support from its members.

The OECD Council -- the organization’s overarching decision-making body -- is also planning to hold a meeting to make a decision on whether it would open the accession process for Indonesia, according to Susiwijono Moegiarso, a secretary at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs. If the OECD Council agrees to begin the accession process, they will then prepare a work program for Indonesia’s official membership.

“An OECD Council Meeting will take place this December. The forum will decide on Indonesia’s accession process to the OECD,” Susiwijono said at the 2023 Conference on Indonesian Foreign Policy in Jakarta over the weekend.

Susiwijono did not reveal the exact date of the upcoming talks. He added: “Hopefully, everything will be smooth sailing.”

US President Joe Biden recently told President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during their bilateral meeting that Washington would back Indonesia’s OECD membership bid. Washington also vowed to work with fellow members to help Indonesia meet the commitments in the OECD accession roadmap, including all the necessary reforms related to economy, trade, labor, and employment.

“All OECD members are waiting for Indonesia to be part of the OECD,” Susiwijono said.

“By joining the OECD, Indonesia wants to implement all international standards to push for regulation reforms, as well as an economic transformation that is truly of international standard,” he said.

Indonesia has been a key partner of the OECD since 2007. It takes five to eight years for a country to officially become a full-fledged member of the 38-member rich-country club. As a case in point, Chile had to undergo a 7-year accession process to join the organization, according to Susiwijono.

Indonesia officially declared its intent to join the OECD in July. The group’s secretary-general Mathias Cormann also met President Jokowi at the State Palace in Jakarta in August.

Indonesia is eyeing an OECD membership as their ticket to become an advanced economy. Indonesia’s economy grew by 4.94 percent in the third quarter of 2023. The government aims for 5.2 percent economic growth next year. 

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