The Wali Nanggroe Institute Partners with UTU Academics to Gather Input to Strengthen the Helsinki MoU

The Wali Nanggroe Institute's Implementation Study Team for the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Law Number 11 of 2006 concerning the Governance of Aceh (LoGA) held a dialogue with academics from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at Teuku Umar University (UTU) in Meulaboh on Wednesday (July 29, 2026).

The dialogue is part of a series of studies conducted by the Wali Nanggroe Institute to gather the views of academics, local governments, and various stakeholders to inform the development of recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the Helsinki MoU and the LoGA after more than two decades of peace in Aceh.

The Head of Cooperation and Public Relations of the Wali Nanggroe Institute, Zulfikar Idris, stated that the dialogue was led by the Chairperson of the Wali Nanggroe Council, Kamaruddin Andalah, who represented the Chairperson of the Study Team, Prof. Dr. Syahrizal Abbas.

In his remarks, Kamaruddin emphasized that the Study Team was not present to evaluate a particular institution, but rather to listen to academic views, experiences, and recommendations as a basis for developing more comprehensive policies.
"For more than twenty years, peace in Aceh has been underway. We have achieved many achievements for which we should be grateful, but there are still mandates of the Helsinki MoU and the UUPA whose implementation needs to be further strengthened. Therefore, we want to hear the views of academics directly so that the recommendations are truly based on science, data, and the needs of the Acehnese people," said Kamaruddin.

The dialogue discussed various strategic issues, ranging from the implementation of Aceh's special authority, harmonization of the UUPA with national regulations, natural resource management, the effectiveness of the Special Autonomy Fund, the investment climate, governance, and accelerating development in the Southwest Aceh region.

Academics assessed that the Helsinki MoU has become an important foundation for achieving peace, political stability, and development in Aceh. However, several mandates in the Helsinki MoU and the UUPA still require strengthening through policy refinement, regulatory harmonization, and increased coordination between the Central Government, the Aceh Government, and district/city governments.

The forum also highlighted the importance of evaluating the management of the Special Autonomy Fund to make it more effective, transparent, and accountable, so that its benefits are increasingly felt by the community. Furthermore, participants emphasized the need to strengthen natural resource governance and economic development to increase the competitiveness of the Southwest Aceh region.

One recommendation that emerged was to strengthen the role of the Wali Nanggroe Institution (Lembaga Wali Nanggroe) as an independent institution that upholds the values ​​of peace and Aceh's uniqueness, while also serving as a moral and intellectual space to oversee the implementation of the Helsinki MoU and the Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA).

The forum also encouraged strengthening collaboration between Teuku Umar University and the Wali Nanggroe Institution through joint research, the development of policy briefs, academic discussions, and policy studies on various strategic issues as scientific contributions to Aceh's development.

Dr. Afrizal Tjoetra, Deputy Dean I of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Teuku Umar University, expressed his appreciation for the Wali Nanggroe Institution's involvement of universities in the study process.

"Universities have an academic responsibility to provide objective, research-based studies for public policy formulation. Therefore, the implementation of the Helsinki MoU and the Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA) needs to be continuously scientifically reviewed to address the dynamics of Aceh's development. Teuku Umar University is ready to be a strategic partner of the Wali Nanggroe Institute in research, drafting policy briefs, and developing policy recommendations oriented toward the interests of the Acehnese people," he said.

According to Afrizal, the potential of the Southwest Aceh region needs to be supported by data-driven development policies, strengthening the quality of human resources, sustainable natural resource management, and synergy between the government, universities, and all stakeholders.

Mohammad Raviq, Wali Nanggroe's Special Staff for Diplomacy and Foreign Cooperation, stated that all input from academics will be an important part of the Study Team's recommendations.

"The input we received from Teuku Umar University will be an important part of the Study Team's drafting of its recommendations to His Majesty the Wali Nanggroe. We hope that the synergy between the Wali Nanggroe Institute and universities will continue to be strengthened so that every recommendation produced is truly based on scientific studies, community aspirations, and able to address the challenges of Aceh's future development," he said.

According to Raviq, the dialogue at Teuku Umar University is part of a series of aspirations gathering activities conducted by the Study Team in various districts/cities, universities, community organizations, and other stakeholders.

All study results will be formulated into recommendations to His Majesty the Wali Nanggroe Aceh as input for the Aceh Government and the Central Government to strengthen the implementation of the Helsinki MoU, optimize the implementation of the Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA), and support the development of a peaceful, progressive, just, and prosperous Aceh.[]