Gov’t to Transfer Garuda Bhayangkara UNMISS to MINUSCA

President Jokowi takes a group photo with members of the National Police’s Garuda Bhayangkara Personnel at Sentul, Bogor. (Photo by: Cabinet Secretariat Documentation).

The Indonesian Government will transfer the Indonesian Formed Police Unit task force ‘Garuda Bhayangkara’ Contingent for the UN peacekeeping operations from South Sudan to Central Africa.

The move is in response to the need for personnel deployment on peacekeeping missions carried out by the UN Security Council.

On that basis, President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo on 12 March 2019 in Jakarta signed Presidential Decree Number 7 of 2019 on the Transfer of Assignment of the Garuda Bhayangkara at United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) to United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

“The assignment transfer as intended includes personnel, equipment, paraphernalia, and funding,” Article 1 paragraph (2) of the Presidential Decree reads.

Under the decree, Minister of Foreign Affairs shall coordinate with the UN in order to support preparation, implementation and termination of the duties of the Indonesian MINUSCA Contingent and the Indonesian National Police Chief shall conduct: a. preparation, deployment, and repatriation of the Indonesian MINUSCA Contingent; b. report the Indonesian MINUSCA Contingent tasks implementation periodically to the President every six month or at any time needed.

The funding needed by the Indonesian MINUSCA Contingent, is sourced from the Indonesian National Police budget and the United Nations budget.

“The Garuda Bhayangkara Contingent of the MINUSCA carries out tasks for a year and may be extended at the request of the United Nations and the Indonesian Government’s decision,” Article 5 of the decree reads.

“The Presidential Decree shall apply as of the date of its enactment,” Article 7 of the decree reads.

For the record, Indonesia was elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two years, starting from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020. During the UN Security Council member elections attended by all UN member countries in June 2018, Indonesia gained support from 144 out of 193 UN member states. (EN/Pusdatin/ES)

Translated by: Galuh Wicaksono
Edited by: Muhardi/Muhammad Ersan Pamungkas