Overview
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia is a position within Indonesia's foreign ministry that oversees the administrative, structural, and personnel matters in the ministry. Directly responsible to the minister, the office is regarded as the most senior among other first-level echelons in the ministry. With an exception of a brief period between 1963 and 1966, the position has been in existence since 1949, making it the oldest senior position within the foreign ministry. The position is held by a career diplomat with the diplomatic rank of ambassador. The current officeholder is Denny Abdi, who has been in office since 17 September 2025.
Powers and responsibilities
According to the Foreign Minister Decree No. 4 of 2025, the most recent decree which regulates the foreign ministry's organization and structure, the secretary general of the ministry of foreign affairs is responsible for coordinating the formulation of foreign policy, implementation of responsibilities, supervision, as well as providing administrative support to units and agencies within the foreign ministry.
History
Two days after the proclamation of Indonesian Independence, on 19 August 1945 President Sukarno issued a decree which appointed Achmad Soebardjo as Indonesia's inaugural foreign minister, effectively forming the foreign ministry. As the ministry had no preceding structure in the prior colonial government, the ministry lacked any sort of organization, and Subardjo had to put up an advertisement to recruit staffers. The first administrative head of the ministry, Sudjono, bear the title of secretary and was appointed in a decree on 8 August 1945. The post was upgraded to a secretary general sometime in 1946 with Utojo Ramelan being appointed for the post. He never assumed his duties in the post, as in 1947 he was sent to Singapore to head Indonesia's mission there. Pandu Suradhiningrat became the acting general secretary shortly afterwards.
At the end of the Indonesian National Revolution in 1949, the Indonesian foreign ministry returned to Jakarta as part of the United States of Indonesia government. Mohammad Ichsan was appointed as the secretary general on 8 August 1949. The federal state soon dissolved and was absorbed by the unitarian Republic of Indonesia, and Ichsan retained the position. The duties of the secretary general were transferred to the assistant foreign minister for organization and administration, with its officeholder being appointed on 1 January 1963. After the fall of Sukarno, the post of secretary general was re-established by President Suharto on 4 August 1966. The nomenclature has remained the same following consecutive reorganizations within the foreign ministry.
List
With the exception of Darma Setiawan, all secretaries general have been ambassadors before or after their appointment.