Grand Challenges: A Southeast Asian Lens—Insights from Dr Astrid Kartika

For our inaugural event, Local Solutions, Global Impact: Lessons from Asia-Pacific Development, Professor Jane Bryson welcomed alumna Dr Astrid Kartika, a medical doctor from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, who, after the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in Aceh, left medicine to join the World Health Organization (WHO) to support Indonesia’s disaster response and later the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

In 2009, supported by an NZAID scholarship (now the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship), Dr Kartika came to WSBG to pursue a Master of Public Policy. Since then, she has built a distinguished career in international development, with expertise in disaster management, health, social development, and governance.

The event was well attended by members of the public, academic staff, and students, including many current Manaaki scholarship recipients. Marking 15 years since her time at Te Herenga Waka, Dr Kartika shared her experiences and key learnings saying that “recent geopolitical changes have radically impacted international development, but the debate around why we still need development policies around the world continues.”

Using examples of programmes implemented across different parts of Indonesia—a country made up of over 17,000 islands, each with diverse and complex needs —Dr Kartika's lecture brought development issues to life “beyond the statistics”. This provided a sobering and insightful look into the realities of international development, emphasising the importance of context, collaboration, and sustainability in addressing global challenges.

Dr Kartika highlighted how economic growth brings challenges such as the spread of communicable diseases and aging populations—which are expected to double by 2050—exacerbate issues related to healthcare, poverty, and inequality.

She added that a lack of climate change resilience can deepen poverty and trigger regional instability and concluded that a traditional one-size-fits-all public policy approach in the face of regional differences remains ineffective.

Dr Kartika believes that understanding local contexts is crucial for sustainable development. “The key to providing effective assistance is to listen to local communities, support their organisations, and help strengthen local resilience.”

She addressed the complexities of international aid and offered the audience an insight into three key lessons: First, a thorough political economy analysis is essential to plan development policy and understand the key actors and their incentives.

Second, ensuring that development assistance aligns with local needs rather than imposing external agendas requires effective dialogue with key stakeholders. She asked, “When there is outside assistance, does it benefit communities or do more harm despite good intentions?”

Perhaps most importantly, Dr Kartika added that fostering meaningful partnership is the key to good development policy. “Sustainable development requires empowering local governments and communities and respecting sovereignty to enable local problem solving”.

Dr Kartika believes that international development initiatives remain essential, perhaps now more than ever. While challenging, they require a strong focus on context, collaboration, and sustainability.

She closed with a quote from Nelson Mandela before an engaging in a lively Q&A session: "It is in our hands to make a difference so that we can change the world to be a better place for all of us."

Watch the lecture recording below.