🌊 Center for Southeast Asia Studies to Launch Hasjim Djalal Digital Archive
Preserving Southeast Asia’s Maritime Legacy 🌏⚓
🟢 The Main Takeaway
The Center for Southeast Asia Studies (CSEAS) announced it will soon launch the Hasjim Djalal’s Archives — a comprehensive digital collection of Indonesia’s most influential maritime diplomat.
Spanning 1967–2022, the archive contains thousands of speeches, notes, and policy insights across 10 key themes. Over 900 curated samples are already uploaded.
Key themes include:
🌏 Geopolitics & Global Affairs
⚖️ Law of the Sea & Maritime Issues
🧭 South China Sea Disputes
🇮🇩 Indonesian Foreign Policy & Domestic Affairs
🌐 ASEAN & Regional Cooperation
🔑 Why It Matters
Professor Hasjim Djalal was one of Southeast Asia’s most important maritime thinkers.
⚓ He pioneered the Archipelagic State concept that expanded Indonesia’s sea sovereignty.
🤝 He was the key architect of dialogues on the South China Sea, bringing ASEAN, China, and Taiwan to the table.
📜 His early workshops in the 1950s shaped the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and later ASEAN’s Declaration on the South China Sea (1992).
His work still underpins ASEAN–China Code of Conduct negotiations today.
🌏 The Big Picture
ASEAN is navigating complex maritime disputes while trying to maintain stability.
🛡️ Djalal’s lifetime work continues to guide negotiations on the South China Sea Code of Conduct, expected to conclude by 2026.
📚 The archive aims to empower researchers, diplomats, and civil society to understand the region’s maritime legal foundations.
🏠 Why This Hits Home
🇮🇩 Indonesia’s maritime identity — from Wawasan Nusantara to its role as a leading voice in UNCLOS — was shaped by Djalal’s vision.
🧭 His legacy is key for younger diplomats, policy makers, and Southeast Asian maritime scholars navigating rising geopolitical competition.
📌 Key Highlights
🗂️ Digital-first access: Millions of documents to be searchable for academics, journalists, and policymakers.
🤝 Connecting regional thought leaders: The archive could foster collaboration among ASEAN legal and diplomatic communities.
🧭 Policy continuity: Helps guide ASEAN’s maritime future amid rising global power rivalries.
🌟 Bottom Line
The Hasjim Djalal’s Archives is more than a historical record — it’s a strategic knowledge hub for ASEAN’s maritime future. As disputes in the South China Sea evolve, Djalal’s work remains a compass for peaceful, law-based solutions.
(NGO/ELS)