Indonesia pursues SDGs in developing new capital Nusantara: OIKN

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is paying close attention to efforts aimed at achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in developing its new capital city (IKN) Nusantara in East Kalimantan, the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) stated on Sunday.

"We envision Nusantara as a sustainable and livable city. To that end, we have included the implementation of SDGs into every development project in Nusantara, including the Mentawir Nursery and hydroponic farming," OIKN Head Bambang Susantono remarked.

He noted that the nursery and farming projects constitute Nusantara's efforts to promote reforestation and a sustainable economy.

Meanwhile, OIKN's expert staff member for sustainable development, Diani Sadiawati, stated that the authority is currently working on various projects that are consistent with the SDGs.

She remarked that there will be more green projects launched in the third phase of project groundbreakings in IKN Nusantara.

"We, along with the UNESCAP and other partners, are formulating the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) that will serve as an instrument for monitoring and analyzing SDGs in Nusantara. At least nine of the 17 SDGs will be included in the VLR," she pointed out.

On Sunday, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and several partners of the OIKN visited the IKN development area to inspect the consistency of development with the SDGs.

On this occasion, Executive Director of UNESCAP Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana had the opportunity to conduct a first-hand review of the Mentawir Nursery and hydroponic farming in Sepaku Sub-district, North Penajam Paser District.

The results of the review will be outlined as a report on Indonesia's SDGs' progress during the High-Level Political Meeting on Sustainable Development scheduled for 2024 in New York, the United States.

Alisjahbana said that the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing and the OIKN have been developing Nusantara by adjusting to the current global trend of modern city development.

"I can clearly see that sustainability is the main point (of IKN's development) during this visit, as evidenced by OIKN's efforts to conduct reforestation while improving the skills of locals to support sustainable sources of income. This is a great initial step," she remarked.