JAKARTA - In the midst of increasing global uncertainty today, leadership lessons are very important for young people. This is because with good leadership can increase the opportunity to create peace.
Therefore, the opportunity to gain leadership lessons must be further expanded. Such as the fourth series of leadership lectures of the ERIA School of Government Leadership Lecture Series held in Jakarta.
The leadership lecture raised the theme of Leadership in Dangerous Times: Human Rights, Nation-Building, and Regional Diplomacy, which presents reflections on leadership, nation-building, and diplomacy in the midst of current global uncertainty.
Interestingly, the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, H.E. José Ramos-Horta, was present as a speaker, who is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and one of the key figures in the struggle for independence of Timor-Leste.
Prof. Nobuhiro, Aizawa, Dean and Managing Director of ERIA School of Government, said that Timor-Leste's experience offers important lessons about leadership that can turn conflict into cooperation.
"East Timor is a real example of how peace and reconciliation can turn the history of conflict into a future of cooperation. Reconciliation and friendship between East Timor and Indonesia are one of the important foundations for the stability of Southeast Asia that we enjoy today," said Prof. Aizawa in the Senayan area, Jakarta, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
ERIA President, Tetsuya Watanabe, said that leadership lessons are not only obtained from books or classrooms, but also from those who have experienced various important events firsthand and helped shape history.
"President Ramos-Horta's experience in building peace, encouraging diplomacy, and strengthening regional cooperation provides lessons that are very relevant for us today," said Watanabe.
President Ramos-Horta himself invited participants to retrace Timor-Leste's journey from the time of conflict to independence, to the long process of building peaceful and trusting relations with its neighbors. As leaders, it takes courage to leave the wounds of the past, patience to rebuild trust, and a commitment to continue to look ahead.
Regarding the relationship between Timor-Leste and Indonesia, he said the reconciliation of the two countries was one of the most important peace stories in Southeast Asia. He also remembered the role of a number of Indonesian figures, including B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, and Megawati Seokarnoputri, who also paved the way for Timor-Leste's transition process towards independence.
"True regional stability is not only about the absence of conflict, but about joint efforts to transform parties that were once opposed to partners who can work together for a better future," President Ramos-Horta explained.
Meanwhile, the leadership lecture was also attended by diplomats, government officials, academics, and wisdom experts from various countries. Through this activity, the ERIA School of Government continues to provide a space, especially for the younger generation, to understand good leadership in order to help create peace in various nations.
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