Launch of SDSN SE Asia Network
The SDSN Southeast Asia Regional Network was launched by the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, on Oct 6, 2013, in Bali, Indonesia. The Minister of Toursim and Creative Economy for Indonesia, Mari Pangestu, also a member of the SDSN Leadership Council, and Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the SDSN and a Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were present along with a number of ministers, high level officials and researchers of sustainable development from across the region. The launch was the highlight of the inaugural International Conference on Sustainable Development, at the High Level Leaders Segment of APEC, October 5-6, 2013. Also launched by the President was a National SDSN for Indonesia. The theme of the International Conference was Tri Hita Karana , signifying the Balinese philosophy of achieving harmony and balance between nature, humans, and god.
Finalists of the UID Sustainable Development Award presented their projects at the launch event. The finalists were:
1) Surya University – Achieving Sustainable Development through Education. The project is to spread an easy and enjoyable way of teaching and learning mathematics to children, teachers, parents, and others in society. The “Matematika GASING” approach is a critical first step to ensuring Surya University’s vision of transforming Indonesia with 30,000 PhD’s in science/technology, and through math and science education reform nationwide.
2) Yayasan IBEKA/IBEKA Foundation – Community-based Electrification of Rural Indonesia Using Micro-hydro Power. IBEKA’s renewable small-scale energy/electricity generation projects focus on the development and implementation of technological solutions that also have a twin benefit of local community empowerment / community capacity building.
3) Telapak Indonesia – From Illegal Logging to Community Logging. Telapak is successfully transforming illegal loggers into caretakers of green forest environment by using a combination of Forest Stewardship Council certification, the establishment of community-run governance bodies, and improving the livelihoods of forest-dwelling communities.
4) The Learning Farm – Planting the Seeds of Change: Organic farming skills to empower disenfranchised Indonesian youth. The Learning Farm aims to develop Indonesian vulnerable youth to become economically self-sufficient and productive members of communities. Through organic farming and other valuable life skills, TLF transforms participants’ values, outlook, and expectations of self and community and equips them with marketable skills whilst working and participating in a purposeful, communal environment.
5) Conservation International Indonesia – Empowering Communities to Safeguard their Marine Natural Capital. The Bird’s Head Seascape in West Papua, Indonesia, has the highest marine biodiversity in the world. CI and partners have successfully empowered the local people to establish and sustainably manage 3.6 million hectares Marine Protected Areas for their livelihoods. This model is now being used in other regions of Indonesia.
And the winner,
Pemerintah Daerah Kabupaten Bojonegoro/Bojonegoro Regency Regional Government – A Better Road Forward: Engaging Communities in Road Paving in Bojonegoro Regency. After spending years and a lot of money to build and maintain asphalt roads, the Bojonegoro Regency decided it needed a more effective and less costly way to maintain road connectivity. The Regency initiated a road paving program by engaging the community to participate in the manufacturing of paving blocks, constructing the roads and maintaining the infrastructure. Not only are the roads better and people feel more empowered, there is less damage to the environment.
About the S DSN SE Asia Regional Network
The SDSN SE Asia is a regional network of organizations and thought leaders across SE Asia/ASEAN with a mission to interact, champion and spearhead sustainable development initiatives, and to help scale up solutions throughout ASEAN.
The network will be facilitated and supported by a Governance Council, supported by a secretariat based at the Creative Campus, Kura Kura, Bali. Collaboration between and across countries in the region will be critical to the success to the success of the SDSN SE Asia Regional Network. The Governance Council of the Regional Network will help mobilize the participation from critical stakeholders including government, academia, civil society and business, and help increase the visibility and reach of the network. Members of the Governance Council are from around the region, and are noted champions of sustainable development.