Judha Nugraha (born 9 November 1974) is an Indonesian diplomat who is currently serving as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates since 2025. He previously served as the director of the Indonesian citizen protection in the foreign ministry from 2019 to 2025.
Born on 9 November 1974,[1] Judha completed high school at the 8th Yogyakarta state high school. He began studying economics at the Gadjah Mada University in 1993. Upon joining the foreign department,Judha studied at the Monash University in 2003,pursuing his master's degree in diplomacy and trade.[2]
Diplomatic career
Judha was posted to various diplomatic representatives abroad throughout his tenure in the foreign ministry. He served for three and a half years at the economic section[3] of Indonesia's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva,[4] rising from third secretary[5][3] to the rank of second secretary.[6] He handled issues relating to the General Council,Committee on Agriculture,G33,G20,Cairns Group,[5] and was involved in Indonesia's deputy chairmanship of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2009.[6] After serving in Geneva,Judha was posted to the Kuala Lumpur's embassy's consular section with the rank of first secretary,[7][8] during which he handled cases of citizen protection.[9]
Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection
In 2017,Judha was named as the deputy director (chief of subdirectorate) for institutional affairs and protection diplomacy within the foreign ministry's directorate of Indonesian citizen protection.[10] During his tenure,he was involve in the repatriation of an Indonesian migrant workers murdered in Malaysia,[11] Indonesian crew members who were stranded in India and the Netherlands,[12] and freeing Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia from a death sentence.[13] He became the acting director for Indonesian citizen protection in 2019[14] for a few months before being permanently appointed to the position[2] in September 2019. According to him,at the start of his tenure he felt that his predecessor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal had "left a very big shoes" for him to fill. Iqbal later consoled him,stating that he "has his own path" and assured him the support of his staffs.[9]
During his tenure,Judha oversaw the implementation of the Peduli WNI portal in embassies,which was intended as a unified digital platform for Indonesian citizen services and protection and integrated with the Ministry of Home Affairs’population system.[14] Under Judha,the directorate implemented the three-step approach of prevention,early detection,and immediate response to handle Indonesian citizen protection issues.[15] He was also directly involved in evacuating Indonesian citizens from Wuhan during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and repatriating Indonesian citizens from warzones in Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War,Sudan following the Sudanese civil war,Iran during the Iran–Israel war,and Gaza following the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[16] During the latter,Judha worked closely with American lobbyist Joey Allaham,who used his backchannel to ensure the safety of Indonesia.[17] He also led the repatriation of 400 Indonesian victims of human trafficking from Myawaddy,Myanmar,where he personally traveled to the Thailand–Myanmar border to oversee the rescue and ensure their safety.[2] For his work in ensuring the safety of Indonesian citizens,Judha was nicknamed as the "guardian angel" of Indonesian citizens.[18] He served as director until his replacement by Heni Hamidah,the secretary of the directorate general for protocol and consular affairs,in an acting capacity on 20 October 2025.[19] In total,Judha served as deputy director and director for eight years,six months,and twenty days.[10]
Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
In August 2024,Judha was nominated by President Joko Widodo as ambassador to Malaysia. Judha never underwent assesment by the House of Representatives for his nomination,[20] and he was re-nominated for ambassador to the United Arab Emirates by President Prabowo Subianto in July.[21] He underwent a closed assessment by the House of Representative's first commission on 5 July,[22] during which he was questioned regarding Indonesia–United Arab Emirates relations.[23] His nomination was approved by the House of Representatives committee in a session three days later,[24] and he was installed on 25 August 2025.[25] He departed for the United Arab Emirates on 31 October 2025.[10]
Personal life
Judha is married to Dwi Kerti Catur Wulan Yuaningrum and has two children.[8]
References
↑ "PENGUMUMAN HASIL SELEKSI BERKAS JPT PERIODE II 2019"[Announcement of Document Selection Results for JPT Period II 2019](PDF). Kemlu.go.id (in Indonesian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
↑ Wahyudi, Ridwan (11 March 2015). "Ini Penyebab Pengurusan Paspor di KBRI Kuala Lumpur Lama"[This Is Why Passport Processing at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur Is Slow]. Pusat Sumber Daya Buruh Migran (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 August 2025.
1 2 "STAFF OF THE MISSION". Mission-Indonesia.org. Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations. 15 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
↑ KBRI Kuala Lumpur, Staff (18 June 2013). "Staff KBRI Kuala Lumpur"[Staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur]. KBRI Kuala Lumpur (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 August 2025.
↑ Kurmala, Azis (24 April 2019). "Dua WNI bebas dari hukuman mati di Arab Saudi"[Two Indonesian Citizens Freed from Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia]. ANTARA News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 August 2025.
1 2 Salengke, Haufan Hasyim (24 October 2019). "Kemenlu Terus Berinovasi Menjawab Tantangan Perlindungan WNI"[Foreign Ministry Continues to Innovate in Addressing Challenges of Protecting Indonesian Citizens]. Media Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 August 2025.
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