The Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation or Badan Kerja Sama Antar Parlemen (BKSAP) is an organ of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI), which was established as the spearhead of parliamentary diplomacy. In accordance with the mandate of the Law Number 2 of 2018 on the Second Amendment to Law Number 17 of 2014 on the People’s Consultative Assembly, House of Representatives, House of Regional Representatives, and Regional Legislative Council (MD3 Law), BKSAP has the functions of fostering, developing, and promoting friendly relations and cooperation between the House of Representatives and parliaments of other countries at bilateral and multilateral levels, including international organizations that bring together parliaments and members of parliaments. BKSAP also provides suggestions and recommendations to the House’s Leaders on matters of inter-parliamentary cooperation.
When attending various assemblies at regional and in international levels, BKSAP voices Indonesia’s national interest and fights for various resolutions that benefit public interests.
Apart from its inter-parliamentary activities abroad, BKSAP welcomes visits from parliaments of friendly countries to the House of Representatives and hosts regional or international meetings. BKSAP also forms a working committee to follow up on issues of concern to BKSAP, especially those related to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and promoting regional economic cooperation.
Throughout this period (2019 – 2024), BKSAP has initiated the House to host the Asia-Africa Parliamentary Conference (AAPC), the World Parliamentary Forum on Sustainable Development, and the Indonesia–Pacific Parliamentary Partnership (IPPP). In addition, BKSAP has also initiated the formation of special structures that discuss issues on women in various inter-parliamentary organizations such as the Meeting of Women Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States (PUIC), Meeting of Women Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) dan Meeting of Women Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA).
In the context of bilateral relations, BKSAP also maintains relations with the parliaments of other countries by establishing the Parliamentary Friendship Groups (Grup Kerja Sama Bilateral - GKSB) and maintains good relations with various countries through meetings with ambassadors of friendly countries.
During this period, BKSAP has facilitated the diplomatic role of individual MPs in a bilateral framework. Individual diplomacy is a new concept that the House introduces to provide space for diplomacy through a one-on-one approach. In practice, individual diplomacy can bridge pending matters arising from Indonesia’s relations with friendly countries.
In carrying out its parliamentary diplomacy role, BKSAP always strives to play an active role in inter-parliamentary forums at regional and multilateral levels, in which it participates and strives to be able to occupy various strategic positions in regional/multilateral parliamentary organizations. BKSAP also works to develop follow-up actions based on the results of attending international sessions/ meetings.
BKSAP is the gateway for the House of Representatives to the international arena, offering new perspectives in terms of constituent aspirations initiated by members of parliament. It provides opportunities to improve the function of parliament in the fields of legislation, supervision, and budgeting in addressing global cross-border challenges.