Princess Nourah University Awards Honorary Doctorate to Indonesia’s First Woman President

Indonesia’s First Woman President Megawati Sukarnoputri Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Riyadh

Megawati Sukarnoputri, Indonesia’s first and only woman president to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the distinction from the institution.

Megawati, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president from 2001 to 2004, is the eldest daughter of the country’s founding leader Sukarno and currently chairs the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Indonesia’s largest political party.

The 79-year-old received an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs during a ceremony held in Riyadh on Monday. The event was overseen by the university’s acting president, Dr Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.

In a statement, Princess Nourah University said the honour was conferred in recognition of Megawati’s leadership during her presidency and her “significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, as well as her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia.”

This marks Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has previously received similar honours from several Indonesian and international institutions, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and Soka University of Japan in 2020. She has also been named an honorary professor by multiple institutions, including the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.

Speaking at the ceremony, Megawati praised the role of women in nation-building. “We gather at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge, and public service. To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” she said.

“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to values, culture, or tradition. It is a condition for nations that believe in their future. A great nation is one that can harness all of its human potential and does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”

Megawati remains Indonesia’s longest-serving political leader. Her presidency oversaw the country’s first direct presidential elections, a landmark moment that consolidated Indonesia’s democratic transition following the fall of longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.