A scene of destruction following the tsunami which struck South Asia on 26/12/2004, Banda Aceh, Northern Sumatra.© Tim A. Hetherington (Panos)
The Secretary of State has announced a review of the DFID Bilateral Aid Programme. The information on this page reflects current activity and is not an indication of the direction or possible outcome of the review.
The island nation of Indonesia is of immense importance. It contains a substantial part of the world's untapped resources in energy, minerals and agriculture, and its huge tropical forests could have a substantial impact – negative or positive – on global efforts to combat climate change.
Indonesia has been a democracy since 1999, and the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is its first democratically elected leader. However, much of the population remains poor – more than half of Indonesians live below the international poverty line – and vulnerable to natural disaster: since December 2004, Indonesia has suffered from a massive tsunami and two major earthquakes.