Former President Megawati Receives Honorary Doctorate in Saudi

RRI.CO.ID, Riyadh: Indonesia's fifth president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, has received an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs from Saudi Arabia's Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). The title was granted by the acting president of the university, Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro, at a ceremony in the university's Riyadh campus on Monday, 9 February 2026.

Megawati, the chairwoman of the center-left Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal studies, according to a resolution by the university council. The PNU said they recognized her leadership and significant contributions to advancing national development.

"This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal spheres, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia," the university stated in a statement.

The award was presented during Megawati's visit to the PNU, accompanied by her delegation. Her visit included a tour of the central library and a meeting with Indonesian scholarship students to offer academic support, learn about their academic experiences, and strengthen academic and cultural cooperation between the two nations.

On that occasion, Megawati delivered her speech titled "Women's Empowerment in the State Governance", where she said women's empowerment is a determining factor in the quality of governance. According to her, as cited from the PDI-P affiliated website Gesuri, a country that excludes women from decision-making spaces risks losing its social, moral, and civilizational balance.

"The honorary degree award reflects Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University’s commitment... to honoring international leaders with a qualitative impact, affirms its position as an active academic institution in recognizing influential figures in society and promoting knowledge partnerships at the regional and international levels," the university stated.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Central Board of PDI-P for Foreign Affairs, Ahmad Basarah, said the award is a tribute to her extraordinary efforts as the first Indonesian female president, who served from 2001 to 2004, and to her important role in politics and her contribution to strengthening international relations and democracy.

"Mrs. Megawati is the first figure in the world outside of Saudi Arabia to receive the degree," Ahmad said, as quoted from the party's social media post.

Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University is widely regarded as the world's largest women's university. Established in 1970, the university now offers various diplomas, bachelor, and postgraduate degrees, ranging from engineering to social sciences.

Megawati has previously been awarded honorary doctorates from various universities, one of the earliest being from Japan's Waseda University in Tokyo in 2001, throughout her presidency. Lastly, Megawati received an honorary doctorate from Malaysia's Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in 2023.

She has also previously been appointed as an honorary professor of two universities. She was awarded an honorary professorship by the Indonesian Defense University in 2021 and the Seoul Institute of the Arts (SIA), South Korea, in 2022.