The SDG Academy Indonesia, a collaborative platform of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), and the Tanoto Foundation, has announced the launch of its digital SDG Mobile Learning and SDG Leadership Certification programs.
“The SDG Academy Indonesia is a platform to strengthen the involvement of many stakeholders to learn, collaborate and contribute to the SDGs achievement. It is carried out through concrete and innovative examples to answer various development challenges. SDG Academy Indonesia is also expected to help strengthen the capacity of local government officials in formulating SDGs regional action plans and overseeing their implementation, which urgently requires leadership and technical capacity,” said Vivi Yulaswati, Head of SDG Secretariat and Expert Staff on Poverty Reduction and Social Welfare at the Bappenas, in a press statement.
Capacity building
Launched in 2019, SDG Academy Indonesia aims to boost the capacity of state and non-state stakeholders at the local level to speed up achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDG Academy Indonesia has three main programs: SDG Mobile Learning, SDG Leadership Certification, and SDG Study Abroad, covering four essential dimensions of capacity building: knowledge, character, skill, and values.
About 30 participants from around Indonesia have been selected for the first cohort of the SDG Leadership Certification program. The program is designed to empower local leaders across multiple sectors with the latest know-how on SDGs. Individuals and institutions participating in the program will be equipped with complex problem-solving skills, using innovative case models and hands-on experience.
Meanwhile, the SDG Mobile Learning program breaks down distance barriers by providing greater online access to learning resources to everyone across this vast archipelagic country.
“The work on the 2030 Agenda is accelerating — guided by the pledge of leaving no one behind. The SDGs demand a transformation of economies, societies, and human behavior. This will not happen unless people are aware of the goals, see their own concerns in the goals, and know what they can do to implement the goals. Therefore, the educational component of the SDGs is critical, and I believe the role of the SDG Academy Indonesia’s program is important in this endeavor,” said UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia Valerie Julliand.
Women’s leadership and gender equality
For his part, UNDP Indonesia Resident Representative Norimasa Shimomura said: “With UNDP’s global networks, the SDG Academy Indonesia will also benefit from insights and experiences from around the world that will help us develop innovative solutions that are tailored to Indonesia’s development context.”
He added that women’s participation is a cornerstone to the inclusive philosophy of SDG Academy Indonesia.
“Women’s tremendous potential to promote good governance, economy, science, and technology are largely untapped. This is why the SDG Academy Indonesia’s learning programs are designed to consciously promote women’s leadership and gender equality,” he said, adding that the academy is committed to having an equal representation of women among its course participants.
Tanoto Foundation Global CEO J. Satrijo Tanudjojo emphasized its commitment to sustainable development.
“The Tanoto Foundation is committed to take part in the efforts of achieving the SDGs in Indonesia. Our partnership with the Ministry of National Development Planning and the UNDP Indonesia in establishing the SDG Academy Indonesia is an example of a good practice on how state and non-state actors could work together in accelerating SDGs achievement,” he said.
Tanoto Foundation is an independent family philanthropy organization founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981.
