TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The 5th Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri received an honorary doctorate from Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, February 9, 2026. The honorary doctorate was conferred on Megawati by Acting Rector of PNU, Fawziyah bin Suliman Al Amro.
The Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), is the first non-Saudi Arabian national to receive an honorary degree from the world's largest women's university. In her speech, Megawati expressed her respect and gratitude for the honorary doctorate.
According to her, this honorary doctorate was not a personal achievement, but rather a recognition of the values of women's struggles. She touched on the importance of women's empowerment and involvement as determining factors in the nation's progress.
Her experience in government demonstrates that women's involvement does impact the quality of public policy. Megawati believes that a country that excludes women from decision-making spaces risks losing social, moral, and civilizational balance.
She stated that a just and effective government cannot be built if the state excludes women from the decision-making process. The daughter of former President Sukarno, she stated that the state must ensure that women have equal space, opportunities, and protection in all aspects of national life.
"Women's empowerment is not a threat to values, culture, or traditions. Rather, it is a prerequisite for a nation that believes in its own future," Megawati said in a written statement, as reported by Antara on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
Megawati received this honorary doctorate in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, her eleventh. The following are the ten honorary degrees Megawati has previously received:
1. Waseda University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, September 29, 2001 (Politics).
2. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Moscow, Russia, April 22, 2003 (Politics).
3. Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan, South Korea, October 19, 2015 (Politics).
4. Padjajaran University (UNPAD), Bandung, Indonesia, October 25, 2016 (Politics and Government).
5. Padang State University (UNP), Padang City, Indonesia, September 27, 2017 (Political Education).
6. Mokpo National University, Mokpo City, South Korea, November 16, 2017 (Economic Democracy).
7. Institute of Domestic Governance (IPDN), Bandung, Indonesia, March 8, 2018 (Politics and Government).
8. Fujian Normal University (FNU), Fuzhou, Fujian, China, November 5, 2018 (Economic Diplomacy).
9. Soka University Japan, Tokyo, Japan, January 8, 2020 (Humanitarian Affairs).
10. Tunku Abdul Rahman University, Malaysia, October 2, 2023 (Social Affairs).
In addition, Megawati also holds three honorary professorships. These were received from the Defense University, Bogor, Indonesia, on June 11, 2021, in Strategic Leadership; the Seoul Institute of the Arts (SIA), Seoul, South Korea, on May 11, 2022, in Arts Policy and Creative Economy; and the Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 21, 2024, in Sustainable Tourism.
Read: PDIP Launches Book on Megawati's Disaster Risk Management
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
