Geneva – The celebration of 75 years of bilateral relations between Indonesia and Switzerland has taken on greater significance with a new partnership between the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia) and Suissenegoce aimed at developing human resource capacity through education and training in global commodity trading.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Bern fully supports this partnership as a follow-up to the visit of Guy Parmelin, Switzerland’s Federal Councillor for Economic Affairs, Education and Research, to Jakarta in October 2025, as well as the signing of an Indonesia-Switzerland cooperation agreement on mineral and metal processing by Indonesian Minister of Investment and Downstreaming Rosan Roeslani and Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin in June 2026.

The cooperation agreement was signed by Chairman of Kadin Indonesia Anindya Bakrie and Secretary General of Suissenegoce Florence Schurch, witnessed by Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland Ngurah Swajaya and Chairman of the Kadin Indonesia-Switzerland Bilateral Committee Francis Wanandi.

Suissenegoce is the Swiss commodity trading association, representing approximately 215 companies engaged in various fields supporting global commodity trading activities. Its members operate across three main sectors: agriculture, including cereals, coffee, palm oil, cocoa, and cotton; minerals and metals, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals; and energy, including fossil fuels, renewable energy, and energy transition.

Under the partnership agreement, certified Suissenegoce training and education programs on global commodity trading will soon be launched. This initiative is in line with the Indonesian Government’s efforts to optimize revenue from global commodity trading activities, particularly for key export commodities.

Switzerland is one of the world’s largest commodity trading hubs, with extensive experience, networks, and highly skilled human resources in global commodity trading. Switzerland’s position as a global trading hub dates back to the Cold War era in the 1950s, when it began establishing a significant presence in the global commodity market and now accounts for approximately one-third or more of global commodity trading. Its activities initially focused on cereals and cotton before expanding into a wide range of commodities, including crude oil, coal, iron ore, copper, coffee, and cocoa.

As a country with limited natural resources, Switzerland serves as a third-party trading hub that purchases commodities from exporting countries and sells them directly to other third countries. As a result, the commodities being traded do not enter the Swiss domestic market.

Switzerland’s strength as a global commodity trading center has been supported by its banking and taxation systems, which provide short-term trade financing facilities and a tax framework that facilitates commodity trading activities for companies.

“KBRI Bern has long explored opportunities for a partnership between Suissenegoce and Kadin Indonesia, and the signing of this agreement marks the first concrete step, coinciding with the celebration of 75 years of bilateral relations between Indonesia and Switzerland,” said Ambassador Ngurah Swajaya.

“Developing human resources in global commodity trading is a concrete step to ensure that Indonesia is not only a producer but can also become an influential player in the global commodity trading market,” said Kadin Indonesia Chairman Anindya Bakrie on the sidelines of the agreement signing ceremony held in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 20, 2026.

Chairman of the Kadin Indonesia-Switzerland Bilateral Committee Francis Wanandi explained that the five-week certified education program will soon be conducted regularly in Jakarta, involving various private-sector and state-owned enterprises engaged in global commodity trading.

Kadin Indonesia recognizes the important role of Suissenegoce in building capacity and networks in global commodity trading, particularly through specialized training programs delivered by experienced practitioners directly involved in the commodity trading industry. These programs have attracted strong interest from commodity trading companies from various countries.

Through this partnership, Kadin Indonesia, as Indonesia’s business organization representing the country’s economic interests, hopes to play an active role in encouraging its member companies to support the advancement of commodity trading and help build a stronger supporting ecosystem for the industry in Indonesia.