Indonesia, as a country with a significant role in the formulation and adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), must show a strong commitment to implement the new global development agenda at the national level, an expert has said.

The International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) executive director Sugeng Bahagijo said that, among the measures the country could take to show SDGs commitment was the establishment of a joint SDGs working committee, aimed at implementing the SDGs agenda.

'€œThe joint committee should comprise of government and civil society organization [CSO] representatives'€, said Sugeng.

He said it was expected that President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo would immediately make a definitive decision on SDGs.

'€œIt is unlikely that SDGs implementation would begin next year without any government decision, a decision that clearly outlines regulation and institutional frameworks as well as any SDGs plan of action'€, said Sugeng.

The civil society coalition appreciated President Jokowi'€™s statement on the government'€™s plan to create a joint committee, in response to what had been proposed, he further said.

'€œThe President and Vice President [Jusuf Kalla] warmly welcomed our suggestion on the establishment of a joint committee as it will not only show the Indonesian government'€™s seriousness in implementing SDGs but also push forward greater public participation'€, said Sugeng.

He said that Jokowi had called for a coordination meeting to be held once every three months, attended by government and civil society representatives, to monitor the progress of SDGs implementations in Indonesia.

Migrant Care policy expert Wahyu Susilo said that the suggestion for the creation of a joint committee had also been conveyed to National Development Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil and presidential chief of staff Teten Masduki.

Wahyu said SDGs agenda would help the country to improve human development in the country. As implementing SDGs requires rapid and proper policy interventions, the establishment of an SDGs joint committee could help the government realize sustainable development.

'€œAll this time, development has tended to prioritize an increase in capital investments which has led to a decline in human development in the country, especially for marginalized people such as migrant workers, farmers and fishermen'€, said Wahyu.

'€œOne important aspect of SDGs is that, in this development agenda, no one is left behind'€, he went on.

The Indonesian Women Coalition for Justice and Democracy (KPI) secretary general Dian Kartika Sari said that if the government showed seriousness with regard to the implementation of SDGs it would also show itself to be serious in realizing justice and gender equality for all Indonesian women. Realities of poverty, inequality and injustice affecting Indonesia women had been a burden. Therefore, SDGs implementation must involve the active participation of women.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) executive director Abetnego Tarigan said that the implementation of an SDGs joint committee was needed in order to ensure that groups working on the main issues could participate actively in the implementation of the global agenda, so that it could function not only in a context of '€œa project'€ but could become part of Indonesia'€™s development paradigm.

'€œThe joint committee has a strategic role to synergize SDGs and the National Mid Term Development Plan'€, said Abetnego. (ebf)

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