 Beginning in 2008, she has served as Indonesia's goodwill ambassador to UNESCO, focusing on educational issues.Hakim was born in Kuala Tungkal, Jambi on 25 December 1956, but grew up in Yogyakarta.She is of mixed descent, with her relatives coming from Padang, Aceh, Banten, Pekalongan, Madiun, and the Middle East; this caused her to question her identity as a child and teenager.