Special Region of Yogyakarta is one of region in Indonesia that rich with the culture. Gamelan is the traditional instrumental music of Yogyakarta that quite famous because it becomes the second largest instrument music in the world. However, there is also some problem that happened in gamelan such as internal and external problems. According to that, the Yogyakarta government have a strategy to solve the problem including the issue of claims from other countries also strategy to achieve international recognition. The primary aim of this research is to analyze the strategy of Yogyakarta government to achieve international recognition of gamelan. The research method used was qualitative with descriptive analysis. This research use cultural diplomacy and recognition theory. Therefore, there will be two types of recognition based on the behavior such as de facto and de jure recognition. Where the government strategy to achieve the international recognition is submitting gamelan as Intangible Cultural Heritage to UNESCO and do some promotion such as hold the Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival, and give gamelan to countries that need gamelan.