# Artati Marzuki-Sudirdjo

Artati Marzuki-Sudirdjo (15 June 1921 – 19 April 2011) was an Indonesian diplomat and politician. She served as Minister of Basic Education and Culture in the Dwikora Cabinet from 1964 to 1966.

## Early life

Artati was born on 15 June 1921 in Salatiga, Dutch East Indies to R.Sudirdjo Djodjodihardjo and R.A Sumiati Reksohaminoto. Her father worked as the chief engineer of Malabar Radio Station. Completing high school at the Bandoeng Hogere Burgerschool law school, in 1939, she continued her higher education at the Rechtshoogeschool te Batavia [id] and finished it in 1941 with a Candidate II diploma.

## Career
### Sukarno Era

During the Indonesian National Revolution, Artati worked at the Indonesian Red Cross Society Bandung Branch. Due to the March 1946 burning of Bandung, she moved to Dayeuhkolot and worked as an English radio broadcaster at Voice of Free Indonesia. Later, she moved to Yogyakarta and participated in the one-year Ministry of Foreign Affairs diplomatic and consular course, completing it in May 1947. Afterward, she was appointed as a politics and consular staffer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1950, Artati enrolled in the University of Indonesia, majoring in law, but she did not graduate. In the same year, she moved to New York and worked as a permanent representative of Indonesia to the United Nations for three years. In 1954, she returned to Jakarta and worked as Head of Social Affairs of the United Nations Directorate until 1958. From 1958 to 1961, Artati worked as Head of Politics of the Embassy of Indonesia in Rome, Italy. Afterwards, she served at the Directorate of International Organization Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 1964.
In 1964, Artati was appointed as the Minister of Basic Education and Culture, although she had no educational background. Her appointment aimed to resolve the conflict between two bloks in the education department, the Serikat Sekerja Pendidikan (SSP, Education Workers' Union) and Serikat Sekerja Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (SSPK, Education and Culture Worker's Union). She held this position until February 1966.

### Suharto Era

In 1966, Artati returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was appointed secretary general. Then, in 1971, she became Inspector general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 1973. After that, she took a job as a member of the Supreme Advisory Council from 1973 to 1978. Subsequently, she became a member of the Department of Justice's Standing Committee in the Humanitarian Law Department until 1982.
From June 1982, she served as the Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland for one year. Subsequently, she became the Indonesian Ambassador to Austria, serving concurrently as Indonesian permanent representative to the UN and International Organizations in Vienna. In 1985, she was elected as Chairperson of the IAEA Board of Governors and served it for one year. As a chairperson of the IAEA's Board of Governors, she chaired a special meeting of the Board of Governors on the Chernobyl disaster.

## Death

Artati died at 07:30 on Tuesday, 19 April 2011, and was buried in the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery.

## Personal life

Artati spoke English, Dutch, French, and Italian. She could also understand German and Japanese.