Indonesia to Host the 50th MABIMS Senior Officials Meeting in November 2026

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta — Indonesia will host the 50th Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of MABIMS (Ministers of Religious Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore), bringing together secretary-general-level officials for religious affairs from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Singapore.

The meeting is scheduled to take place from November 1–4, 2026, in Jakarta, with its main agenda focused on discussing member countries' best practices in managing religious affairs.

The Head of the Ministry of Religious Affairs' Foreign Cooperation Working Team, Tovan Akbar, revealed that this year's forum carries the tentative theme "Kuntum Khaira Ummah" ("The Flourishing of the Best Community"), focusing on best practices from each member country as part of a shared effort toward building an ideal Muslim community.

"Each member country will be able to present its experiences and best practices according to the areas where it excels," Tovan said when met at the Ministry of Religious Affairs headquarters in Jakarta on Monday, September 7, 2026.

Regarding the technical arrangements, Tovan confirmed that the venue and timing of the event have been agreed upon by member countries. "As for the location, it has been agreed that the event will be held in Jakarta from November 1 to 4," he said.

Furthermore, Tovan expressed hope that the 50th SOM MABIMS forum would serve not only as a space for sharing experiences among countries, but also strengthen mutual learning and cooperation among MABIMS member states in facing various religious and social challenges that continue to develop today.

For context, he explained that the SOM MABIMS session is essentially held annually at the secretary-general level, rotating among member countries. Meanwhile, the ministerial-level meeting is held once every two years, also on a rotating basis among the member states.

On that occasion, Tovan also revealed that Indonesia is scheduled to once again host the MABIMS ministerial-level meeting in 2029, continuing the country's active role in this regional religious affairs cooperation forum.