Jakarta, 23 July 2021— The first batch of students of the SDG Leadership Program graduated today from the SDG Academy Indonesia, a collaborative platform between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), and the Tanoto Foundation.

The event, held virtually, honored the first cohort which comprised of  33 students from across Indonesia with diverse professional backgrounds, ranging from civil servants NGO/CSO professionals, employees of the private sector and academics.

The five-month program aims to empower local leaders across multiple sectors in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. The graduates are equipped with the latest know-how of the SDGs, including the ability to develop innovative solutions to complex challenges

All graduates received the title of “SDG-Certified Leaders” following the online workshops and mentoring sessions. The program concluded with a colloquium where participants presented their innovative projects on Poverty Alleviation and Improving the  Quality of Education.

UNDP Indonesia Resident Representative, Mr. Norimasa Shimomura, offered his congratulations and encouraged graduates to further develop their skills.

"If the SDGs are about leaving no one behind, through better targeting with stronger synergies and power of innovation, we need to redouble our effort to achieve the SDGs. We have nine years to work on it. This is where the leadership skills you have acquired at SDG Academy Indonesia becomes essential. It is important to continue to demonstrate such a leadership and commitment, and embrace responsibility in the years to come,”," he said.

Director of SDG Academy Indonesia, Ms. J. Ansye Sopacua, underlined the Academy’s commitment to producing leaders who can accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.

"Indonesia needs more agents of change for SDGs with creative and innovative solutions to solve the pressing issues that will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. In addition, the involvement of all SDG stakeholders plays a crucial role," she said.

Deputy Minister for Maritime and Natural Resources Affairs at Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), Mr. Arifin Rudiyanto, said that SDG Leadership Program sets an example of how all actors can contribute to achieving the SDGs.

"We hope that SDG Academy Indonesia can involve more stakeholders in this program, enabling them to learn from each other, to contribute and to generate innovations on SDGs," he said.

Over 200 people have registered to join the second batch of the SDG Leadership Program, which will focus on the topics of Natural Resources Management and Violence Against Women and Children. The 35 selected participants will start the program in August 2021.

For more information, visit www.sdgacademyindonesia.id

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MEDIA CONTACTS

UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, Tomi Soetjipto, suryo.tomi@undp.org

Tanoto Foundation Communication Manager, Samsul Bahri,  Samsul_bahri@tanotofoundation.org

Kepala Biro Humas dan Tata Usaha Pimpinan Kementerian PPN / Bappenas, Parulian Silalahi, humas@bappenas.go.id