Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Indonesia.
For Indonesia country of information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries and relevant documents, please click here.
Indonesia is not a State party to the 1951 Convention on Refugees and has no national asylum system in place. In the absence of a national asylum legal framework, the UNHCR is conducting the Refugee Status Determination procedure in Indonesia. In order to claim asylum in Indonesia, an asylum-seeker should get in touch in the UNHCR.
Location of the UNHCR office in Indonesia – Menara Ravindo,14th floor Jalan Kebon Sirih Kav.75 10340, Jakarta Pusat. Visit UNHCR country website available in both – Indonesia (Indonesian) Indonesia (English)
Here is a guide made by the UNHCR for asylum-seekers in Indonesia. Also, Welcome to Indonesia’s ‘HELP’ website is created and run by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Asylum seekers and refugees who are registered with UNHCR Indonesia can benefit from certain services provided by UNHCR and its partners. Find information on registration, resettlement, legal support and other services available to you:
- Asylum in Indonesia
- How to register with UNHCR
- Refugee Status Determination (RSD)
- Health assistance
- Education assistance
- Support for those experiencing violence
- Resettlement and other options (family reunification, education opportunities etc.)
- Legal support
- Information about the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
SUAKA created self help kits to understand the process of UNHCR Refugee Status Determination (RSD) at different steps:
- First instance: How to write your statement for the RSD interview, what to expect during the interview
- Appeal: How to appeal to the UNHCR’s rejection of your application, what to expect during the appeal interview
- Reopening: How to apply to reopen your UNHCR file following two rejections of your refugee claim
Legal aid organisations
Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation – Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI)
www.ylbhi.or.id
Jl. Diponegoro No. 74 Menteng, Jakarta Pusat 10310
Tel: 021 – 31 04 510
Fax : 021 – 31 93 01 40
Contact(s): Alvon Kurnia Palma, Gatot Rianto
Email: alvon@ylbhi.or.id, gatot@ylbhi.or.id
Provides legal assistance in cooperation with Jakarta Legal Aid Institution (it is one of YLBHI offices) and Human Rights Working Group (YLBHI is one of its members). Assists refugees in obtaining refugee status certificates from UNHCR.
SUAKA – Indonesian Civil Society Network for Refugee Rights Protection
suaka.or.id
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Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia Building, 2nd Floor, Jl. Diponegoro No.74, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat 10350, Indonesia
Tel: +62 21 31 45 518
Contact: Alldo Fellix Januardy
Email: suaka.secretariat@gmail.com, suaka.legalaid@gmail.com
SUAKA – Indonesian Civil Society Network for Refugee Rights Protection is a network established in 2012. SUAKA works to protect and promote the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia by providing legal aid, advice and information to asylum seekers and refugees. The network also conducts activities focused on empowering asylum seekers and refugees, besides raising public awareness and advocating for policies that protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
Suaka is a network of Indonesian groups and individuals advocating for the rights of asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia. All members are volunteers, we do not have paid staff or ongoing funding. We have a very small legal aid section (1 person) to assist Persons of Concern with applications for refugee status. We also make referrals to UNHCR and partner organisations for other protection issues. We welcome contact from any group or individual interested in assisting us to build our organisation, raise funding for staff, office space, training, information sessions and other activities of our network. For more information about our work please visit our website or contact our secretariat
Human Rights Working Group Indonesia (HRWG)
www.hrwg.org (under construction)
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Jiwasraya Building Society Lobby Floor, Jl. R.P Soeroso No.41, Gondangdia, Menteng, Jakarta 10350
Tel: +62 21 70 73 35 05
Fax: +62 21 31 43 058
Email: hrwg@hrwg.org
Contact person: Ali Akbar Tanjung
HRWG was established in 2003 by a conference of Indonesian human rights organisations. It currently has 44 member organisations from different sectors (women’s rights, children’s rights, urban poor, indigenous people, governance and mainstream human rights groups) from across the Indonesian archipelago. The main purpose of this coalition is to coordinate effective international human rights advocacy towards various UN human rights mechanism, regional human rights mechanisms, in order to ensure that the international human rights standard ratified by the Indonesian government are implemented.
HRWG’s activities include media advocacy, lobbying relevant governmental institutions, and providing training and capacity building for members on monitoring and advocacy on the implementation of all international human rights conventions and instruments. The Human Rights Working Group is a member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.
Organisations providing other forms of assistance
Roshan
https://roshanlearning.org/whatwedo
Roshan Learning Center is a community-driven initiative serving asylum seekers and refugees in Jakarta, Indonesia. Roshan focuses on refugee education in Jakarta and does this by providing learning experiences for children and youth while also empowering parents and other adults through English classes and other practical and enriching activities.
Refugee-led organisations and initiatives
Refugee Asylum Seeker Information Center
Cisarua Refugee Learning Center
Cipayung Refugee Learning Center
International Organisations
Jesuit Refugee Service – Indonesia (JRS)
www.jrs.or.id
Gang Cabe DP III/ No 9, Puren Pringwulung, Selman, Yogyakarta – 55002
Tel: 02 74-51 74 05
Fax: 02 74-51 74 05
Email: larsstenger@jrs.or.id
The history of JRS was marked by the experience of serving Vietnamese refugees in Pulau Galang, Indonesia in 1980. In reaction to this experience the Jesuit Refugee Service was established to accompany, serve and advocate for the rights of forcibly displaced people. JRS Indonesia was founded in 1999 in reaction to the influx of refugees from West Timor. JRS accompanied the refugees and assisted through support in repatriation, health service, education in emergency situations and accompaniment in camps. In June 2001, JRS started to serve the IDPs in East Aceh during the ongoing conflict in Aceh and non-presence of International NGOs due to security reasons. Since most IDPs fled to North Sumatra as the closest safe destination, JRS opened another office in Medan in July 2001 to serve them. The JRS’ activities include the Displacement Prevention Programme, which consists of peace education & DRR, IDP mapping, advocacy on displacement issues, and emergency response to the displaced and refugees.
Church World Service (CWS) Indonesia
www.cwsindonesia.or.id
Jl. Ampera Raya No. 5A
DKI Jakarta 12560
+62-21-78838437
Fax: +62-21-7804284
email: info@cwsindonesia.or.id
CWS is present in West Timor, South Sulawesi and Jakarta where work with families helping them reach food and economic security, focus on resilience in the face of climate change, and help refugee women and unaccompanied children into several homes ensuring that these vulnerable refugees have a safe space to live, take classes, and make friends.
Yayasan Same Skies
www.sameskies.org
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Jl. Buni No. 6, Mangga Besar, West Jakarta
Email: connect@sameskies.org
Same Skies is a non-religious, politically neutral non-profit organisation, registered in Switzerland (2014), Australia (2016), Malaysia (2017) and Indonesia (2017). It is composed of an international team of passionate humanitarian professionals who support refugees and asylum seekers, focusing on their resilience. Same Skies’ work is based on the conviction that every individual has skills and knowledge to contribute to society. This paradigm shift has a very significant, transformative impact on people’s lives when it is applied throughout every step of a project.