Sustainable Development
When the United Nations held a series of meetings with countries of the world to prepare the document for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2014, Indonesia actively participated in these meetings.
When the United Nations held a series of meetings with countries of the world to prepare the document for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2014, Indonesia actively participated in these meetings.
Indonesia is aware of the importance of the SDGs for its nation-building endeavor, because the SDGs, in essence, are the continuation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that ended in 2015.
The SDGs were then translated into the Indonesian language into Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan (TBP), and the overall target is to achieve welfare in the world, including Indonesia, by 2030.
Why are the SDGs needed?
The MDGs were originally expected to help countries reach the set targets, such as reducing world poverty by half. However, part of the targets had not been achieved by many countries until 2015.
Indonesia had achieved 49 of 67 MDG indicators by the end of 2015. As the largest archipelagic country, with the fourth-largest population, diverse cultures and geographical conditions, Indonesia has been more successful than other countries of the Asia Pacific region in implementing almost all MDG indicators. The remaining indicators that have not been achieved under the implementation of the MDG programs are considered as unfinished tasks and would be continued under the SDG development agenda.
The SDG agenda, hence, is an improvement and continuation of the MDGs. During the UN General Assembly in September 2015, it was agreed that the SDGs included 17 goals, 169 targets and 241 indicators. The SDGs are a more comprehensive version of the MDGs, which encourage participation of various parties without exception. The MDGs focus only on human development, while the SDGs cover human, economic and environmental development as well as governance.
Unlike the MDGs, the SDGs put forward the principle of “no one left behind”, so that the implementation and achievement of the SDGs are based on the participation from four platforms, namely (i) the government and parliament; (ii) academics and experts; (iii) philanthropy and business; and (iv) community and media organizations. Cooperation between these platforms is based on the principle of mutual trust, equality, participation, accountability and mutual benefit.
The SDGs are actually not new at all for Indonesia. Although initiated by international institutions for countries around the world, their character, content, coverage and targets are all in line with the agenda and ideals of Indonesia\'s national development. Both have the same goals in creating an advanced and sustainable economy, as well as in creating a strong community with of good quality, so that it can bring prosperity to humankind.
The SDGs strengthen the framework and direction of Indonesia\'s medium and long-term development, because important development goals for developing countries, such as Indonesia, have been comprehensively and holistically stipulated in the SDGs documents.
In addition, the SDGs also provide a development platform for Indonesia, which can encourage and facilitate the participation of all stakeholders - without exception - to play an important role in nation-building. Therefore, the principle of “no one left behind” will be the key to drive all components of the nation for every development activity, both at the national and regional levels.
The SDGs also have a role to link and harmonize economic development, social development, environmental development, and the development of governance and law. They are all reflected in the four pillars of the SDGs with hundreds of indicators.
Harmony and synergy between the pillars of development are needed by the Indonesian people, which are multicultural, multiregional and have multiple interests. The potential of duplication or conflict between targets and development policies can be minimized by harmonizing the four pillars of development.
Equally important, the design of the SDGs includes various quantitative indicators that can be clearly measured and defined. This greatly helps the government and development actors in drafting development plans and in determining their targets measurably, and evaluates their achievements. Thus, the process and progress of sustainable development towards 2030 can be monitored systematically and more transparently.
Instrument to guard the SDGs
The Effort and hard work of all components of the nation towards 2030 will become a historical record for the Indonesian people. Therefore, since 2015, the Indonesian government has compiled various instruments to oversee the implementation of the SDGs.
The first is to adopt the targets of the SDGs in the 2015-2019 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) document. This will continue in the process of drafting the RPJMN document 2020-2024 and so on.
Thus, the SDGs are an integral part of the implementation of the development agenda in Indonesia. When Indonesia implements its national development agenda, it simultaneously implements the SDGs.
Second, the President of the Republic of Indonesia has issued Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 59/2017 on the Implementation of Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This Perpres is an important legal basis for all stakeholders - without exception - to be able to carry out and implement the SDGs mandate in the territory of Indonesia. The Perpres also gave a mandate to the National Development Planning Minister/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) as the coordinator in implementing the SDGs in Indonesia.
This means that all activities to implement the SDGs in Indonesia will be under the coordination and control of the National Development Planning Ministry/Bappenas. In addition, based on the Perpres, Bappenas also has the obligation to prepare documents that are in harmony with the SGGs and carry out monitoring and evaluation together with relevant stakeholders.
Third, the government has launched the SDGs National Action Plan (RAN) in June 2018. Some provinces have completed the drafting of the SDGs Regional Action Plan (RAD), which will be the guideline for all stakeholders to carry out activities related to the SDGs. The RAN and RAD documents are part of a measurable work commitment that will be monitored and evaluated as well as a reflection that the implementation of the SDGs is a collaborative effort of the government, community organizations, the media, businesspeople, philanthropy and academics.
Fourth, the National Development Planning Ministry/Bappenas is preparing the road map for the implementation of the SDGs in Indonesia. The roadmap document contains the direction of Indonesia\'s major policies and strategies to achieve the SDG targets by 2030, which include around 60 selected key indicators that are projected to be realized in stages until 2030. Thus, this road map will be used as a guide for determining where more effort is needed to reach the target in 2030.
Examples of development topics of the SDGs
The SDGs will become a shared forum to encourage comprehensive development and to maintain inter-sectoral relationships. The SDG agenda functions as a conductor who presents a development orchestra that is well integrated with pillars of social, economic and environmental development in a measurable manner with good governance.
For example, the per-capita economic growth target set out in Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) is supported by efforts to reduce the proportion of informal employment and efforts to encourage industrialization in an inclusive and sustainable manner (Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). By 2030, the global target is to significantly increase the proportion of industry in employment and gross domestic product in line with national conditions, and to double the proportion in less developed countries.
Economic growth and industrialization are also supported by the development of quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, which are also part of the SDGs’ Goals 9. Furthermore, the efforts and targets set out in Goal 8 and Goal 9 will have a positive impact for achieving Goal 1 (Poverty Alleviation).
The global target for 2030 is to reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages who live in poverty in all dimensions, according to the national definition. An improved quality of life is also an important part of the SDGs, which is clearly stated in Goal 3 (Healthy and Prosperous Life) and Goal 4 (Quality Education). One of the global targets for Goal 3 by 2030 is to reduce the maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births. Meanwhile, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Indonesia is 305 per 100,000 live births in 2015, so Indonesia needs a lot of effort to reach the target of less than 70 by 2030.
Indonesia has succeeded in improving access to education, as reflected in the net enrollment rate for elementary/junior/senior high school and equivalent levels that are close to 100 percent. However, the issue of education that still needs to be addressed in the future is the quality of education, because the gap in the quality of education is still quite high from one region to another. Improving the quality of education in the future will be encouraged through improving students\' abilities in the basic fields of science, reading and mathematics, and increasing the supply of qualified teachers at every level of education.
The quality of education will certainly determine the quality of the young generation in the future and at the same time become the key for the economy to progress in a sustainable manner.
Joint efforts
The achievement of the SDGs by 2030 is certainly not easy and needs work hard, because 2030 is only about 11 years from now. The success or failure of Indonesia in achieving the SDG targets by 2030 will certainly depend on us all without exception. For this reason, the government, academics, businesspeople, philanthropists and community organizations and the media need to share their tasks, work hand in hand and support each other to adopt the SDGs in every line of community activity. Innovation, new initiatives and creative ideas are needed to find new ways and approaches in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs.
The National Development Planning Ministry/Bappenas as the national coordinator of the SDGs will always be ready to be a partner in the effort to achieve the SGDs in all aspects and for each partnership platform. Let us work hard together to make the SGDs a success story in Indonesia by 2030.
Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas