The SDG Academy Indonesia proudly presents the graduation of 41 students from the SDG Leadership Program, Batch 4, held on September 12, 2023. Prior to this, the SDG Academy Indonesia successfully conducted three previous batches of the program since 2021, with 112 total alumni. The Batch 4 program spanned five months, from April to August 2023, to empower local leaders across various sectors to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The graduating class of 41 students in the SDG Leadership Program Batch 4 consists of 57.8% female, and 53.5% fall within the age group of 31-40. These participants come from diverse professional backgrounds, including academia, civil service, business, philanthropy, and professionals working in NGOs, CSOs, and other organizations. Geographically, the participants hail from different regions of Indonesia, including Sumatra, Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.

The program implements a blended learning approach, covering foundational topics, SDG issues, leadership materials, SDG financing, and SDG monitoring and evaluation. Learning activities were conducted in a hybrid format for Workshop 1 and a virtual workshop for Workshops 3, 4, and 5. The program concluded with a Results Seminar (Colloquium) where participants presented their final projects addressing SDG goals 1 (Poverty Eradication) and 4 (Quality Education). These projects were developed by participants divided into nine groups.

Muhammad Husain, Director of SDG Academy Indonesia, remarked, "Batch 4 of the SDG Leadership Program has successfully generated nine capstone projects with outstanding ideas to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We hope these programs can continue to be implemented and expanded, especially in SDGs 1 and 4."

SDG Academy Indonesia is a collaboration between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), and the Tanoto Foundation. This institution targets all stakeholders of the SDGs, including the government, private sector, philanthropic organizations, civil society organizations, media organizations, and academia. There are three programs within SDG Academy Indonesia: SDG Leadership Certification, SDG Mobile Learning, and SDG Study Abroad.

The nine final projects initiated by the participants include initiatives to empower and enhance the competence of teachers in Padang, a social initiative to improve collaboration between companies and universities/ vocational schools in Jakarta and its surroundings, a program to reduce high school dropout rates in Pandeglang, a project to create a positive and inspiring learning environment for students in Garut, a literacy project for schools in Labuan Bajo, an economic empowerment program for women and senior fishermen in Banten, an agricultural management training program for a group in Sleman, support for informal workers in Surabaya, and an income improvement program for disadvantaged households with SMEs in Rote Ndao Regency.

After graduation, participants are awarded the title of "SDG Certified Leader," signifying that they have been equipped with problem-solving skills and knowledge related to development within the framework of the SDGs.

Siprianus Bate Soro, representing UNDP Indonesia, expressed his appreciation for the participants' final projects, stating, "May these projects be executed successfully. Essentially, the SDGs provide an interconnected and synergistic framework, and when we focus on one goal, it can contribute to achieving other SDG objectives."

Meanwhile, Yanuar Nugroho, Coordinator of the Expert Team at National SDG Secretariat Bappenas, encouraged collaboration among institutions for SDG attainment, emphasizing, "The government cannot work alone; it's now the era of co-creation. We sit and work together because relying solely on the government is not feasible."

Yunety Tarigan, a representative from the Tanoto Foundation, delivered a message to the graduates, urging them to "continue spreading information about SDGs in their respective communities to broaden the reach and impact of SDGs."

In conjunction with the graduation ceremony, SDG Academy Indonesia also soft-launched the "Alun-Alun Inovasi," a platform for sharing and accessing best SDG practices in Indonesia and "Learning Module on Prevention of Violence based Extremism," the 14th module of the Mobile Learning Program.

Registration for the fifth batch of the SDG Leadership Program, focusing on Circular Economy, is set to open at the end of September 2023. Interested individuals can access registration information through the SDG Academy Indonesia website (http://www.sdgacademyindonesia.id/en/) and Instagram @sdgacademy_id.

Media Contact:

Radhe Ayu, Communication and Campaign Assistant, SDG Academy Indonesia, radhe.ratih@undp.org

Muhammad Husain, National Project Manager, UNDP Indonesia, muhammad.husain@undp.org