Jakarta, September 8, 2026 – Minister of Creative Economy/Head of the Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf), Teuku Riefky Harsya, received a visit from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the United States, Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo. The meeting discussed follow-up actions on the Indonesia–United States Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and preparations for the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2026.
Minister of Creative Economy/Head of the Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf), Teuku Riefky Harsya, receives a visit from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the United States, Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo. The meeting discussed follow-up actions on the Indonesia–United States Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and preparations for the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2026 at the Ministry of Creative Economy office in Jakarta, Tuesday (8/9/2026).
“We are very open to cooperation between Indonesia and the United States across various subsectors. Various directorates under the Ministry of Creative Economy are ready to further collaborate with various parties in the United States to ensure follow-up actions under the Indonesia–United States Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” said Teuku Riefky at the Ministry of Creative Economy office in Jakarta, Tuesday (8/9).
The Indonesia–United States Comprehensive Strategic Partnership 2024–2028 is an agreement signed in 2023 that includes an Action Plan covering various fields, including the creative economy. Based on Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data processed by the Ministry of Creative Economy for the January–April 2026 period, the United States was the primary destination for Indonesia’s creative economy exports, with a value reaching US$3.31 billion. Exports to the country were dominated by the fashion subsector at US$2.80 billion, followed by crafts at US$0.48 billion and culinary at US$15.55 million.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
“Through strategic collaboration with the United States as a key partner, we are not only opening export channels for leading subsectors such as fashion and crafts, but also expanding the penetration of other subsectors to strengthen the reach of local creative products in global markets,” said the Minister of Creative Economy.
During the meeting, the Minister of Creative Economy also explored opportunities for cooperation through WCCE 2026, which carries the theme “Inclusively Creative: Collective Continuity.” The forum will be held in Jakarta on October 21–23, 2026, and is targeted to produce the Jakarta Vision on Creative Economy 2026.
WCCE 2026 is expected to attract more than 8,000 participants from more than 50 countries. The Government is also exploring the participation of a high-level US delegation, creative industry players, and private-sector stakeholders such as Microsoft, as well as stakeholders in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
The two parties also discussed plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (HCC).
The planned cooperation with HCC aims to strengthen bilateral creative economy collaboration through nine strategic areas, including Creative Economy Development, Film, Television, and Media Production, Business Investment and Trade, Intellectual Property and Brand Protection, Technology and Innovation, Signature Events, and Global Collaboration. The signing is targeted to take place on the sidelines of WCCE 2026 or through another mutually agreed mechanism.
Previously, the Ministry of Creative Economy collaborated with the United States through the US Business for Indonesia: Creative Economy Forum 2025 and an international workshop on intellectual property rights protection. The collaboration also included the implementation of the AI Hackathon for Creative Economy with Amazon Web Services, AILeap Nusantara in supporting digital talent with Microsoft, and support for the American Spaces Indonesia Esports Development (ASIED) in cooperation with the US Embassy in Indonesia.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the United States, Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo, expressed his interest in the development of Indonesia’s creative economy, particularly the 21 subsectors under the Ministry of Creative Economy.
“We hope to identify more opportunities for collaboration and develop concrete cooperation to jointly advance the creative economies of both countries. The creative economy sector is highly interesting and has tremendous potential. As a next step, we will first review this document before following up together,” said Ambassador Indroyono.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
During the meeting, the Minister of Creative Economy was accompanied by Secretary of the Ministry/Secretary-General, Dessy Ruhati; Deputy for Strategic Development of the Creative Economy, Mohammed Ali Berawi; Director of Marketing System Development and Institutional Relations, Danny Rahdiansyah; and Head of the Human Resources Development Center, Adi Mukhtar Rivai.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
