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REPORT
Indonesian-Dutch Youth Dialogue for a Sustainable Future
Exploring bilateral partnership on youth development and engagement towards
the Sustainable Development Goals
Host: Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to
the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Hague, 7 June 2017
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Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, the information and views in the text of this report
are solely the responsibility of the Organising Committee of the Indonesian-Dutch Youth
Dialogue for a Sustainable Future. Exploring bilateral partnership on youth development
and engagement towards the Sustainable Development Goals of 7 June 2017. They do not
necessarily reflect the official opinion and views of the Embassy of the Republic of
Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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LIST OF CONTENTS
Page
Acronyms iii
Foreword iv
Acknowledgements v
INTRODUCTION 1
BACKGROUND 1
Context and purpose 1
Theme and subthemes 2
Objectives 8
Structure and programme 8
WELCOMING REMARKS: H.E. I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, Ambassador
of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands 11
INTRODUCTORY SESSIONS 12
Introduction and why this dialogue 12
Youth development and engagement towards the SDGs 12
Learning and collaborating for sustainable development 13
Best practices: Examples from the Netherlands and Indonesia 14
FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS: RESULTS AND PLENARY FEEDBACK 15
FGD 1: SDG1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 15
FGD 2: SDG2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition
and promote sustainable agriculture 17
FGD 3: SDG17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the
global partnership for sustainable development 20
Cross-cutting goals:
SDG5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
SDG8: Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth,
full and productive employment and decent work for all
CLOSING REMARKS: Dr. Bambang Hari Wibosono, Educational and
Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the
Kingdom of the Netherlands 24
Annexes 25
A. Information flyer 25
B. List of Attendees 26
C. Focus group discussion questions, format, and tips for facilitators 28
D. PowerPoint Presentations 32
D.1 Introduction and why this dialogue 32
D.2 Youth development and engagement towards the SDGs 35
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D.3 Learning and collaborating for sustainable development 43
D.4 Best practices: Examples from the Netherlands and Indonesia 51
D.5 SDG1 – End poverty in all its forms everywhere 59
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Acronyms
CSDS Centre for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS) of the
University of Amsterdam
ECOSOC United Nations Economic and Social Council
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FGD Focus group discussion
H.E. His Excellency
HLPF UN High-Level Political Forum
ILO International Labour Organization
INYS Indonesia Nederland Youth Society
MC Master of ceremony
MDG Millennium Development Goal
NJR Nederlandse Jeugdraad (Dutch Youth Council)
OC Organising committee
SDG Sustainable Development Goal
UN United Nations
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
YDI Youth Development Index
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Foreword
The Netherlands and Indonesia were among the United Nations Member States who on
25 September 2015 adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of
Agenda 2030. I consider that, essentially, the SDGs imply that sustaining human life
depends on the way we relate to one another and treat our planet. Furthermore, I also
emphasise that common challenges that are confronted by different countries not only
need collaborative handling but can also be dealt with more effectively in partnership.
Indonesia and the Netherlands are key strategic partners, whereby reciprocity and
value-adding complementarities importantly define the forward-looking character of
bilateral relationships. The two country partners have put priority of current
cooperation on the water sector, food security, legal and judicial collaboration, and
higher and vocational education. Nevertheless, since adoption of the SDGs by 193 UN
member countries now almost two years ago, cooperation on the goals has not been put
explicitly yet on the bilateral agenda. I strongly think that the goals provide a solid and
common basis to strengthen existing bilateral ties as well as seek new partnerships
while moving towards a sustainable future. In this respect, the youth should be given
sufficient chance for developing themselves and becoming the change agents necessary
for building a sustainable future.
I am therefore very pleased that as representative of the Government of the Republic of
Indonesia to the Netherlands, the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague hosted on 7 June
2017 the Indonesian-Dutch Youth Dialogue for a Sustainable Future. Exploring bilateral
partnership on youth development and engagement towards the Sustainable Development
Goals. I will do the utmost as Indonesian Ambassador in the Netherlands to ensure that
concrete action will follow on this important event in partnership with the Dutch
Government and other relevant parties.
The Hague, 22 June 2017,
I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja
Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia
to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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Acknowledgements
The Organising Committee of the Indonesian-Dutch Youth Dialogue for a Sustainable
Future. Exploring bilateral partnership towards the Sustainable Development Goals owes
much gratitude to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the
Netherlands in The Hague, headed by H.E. I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, for generously
hosting the event on 7 June 2017.
We would like also to express our gratefulness to Dr. Bambang Hari Wibisono, the
Indonesian Embassy’s Educational and Cultural Attaché for his continuous and
invaluable support during preparation and conduct of the Youth Dialogue. Furthermore,
we wish to convey appreciation to the dialogue’s Facilitators, Panellists, Resource
Persons, and Speakers for their important contribution to the success of the dialogue.
They are in alphabetical order: Marcel Beukeboom (Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Environment), Hansje Eppink (Wageningen University and Research), Ciska Kuijper
(Oxfam Novib), Andrei Marantek (Indonesian Embassy), Hugo von Meijenfeldt (Ministry
of Foreign Affairs), Suzanne Naafs (Independent), Reza Pamudji (Indonesia Nederland
Youth Society), Solita Sarwono (Independent), Yohanes Sondang Kunto (Wageningen
University and Research), Vanesa Umboh (Stichting Stem zonder Gezicht), Bambang
Hari Wibisono (Indonesian Embassy), and Arend van Woerden (Sweco Nederland). We
are also thankful to those who gave feedback as to what went well and what could be
improved in future events and those who provided input on an earlier report draft.
We wish also to forward many thanks to Rina Bergsma (Indonesian Embassy) for her
kind assistance on administrative and logistical matters, Lavin Abedy for designing the
event’s flyer, and Joris Maas (Independent) for photographing and recording the Youth
Dialogue.
Finally yet importantly, our appreciation goes as well to the Participants of the Youth
Dialogue for their active engagement!
The Hague, 22 June 2017,
Yanti (T) Kusumanto Coordinator Indonesian-Dutch Youth Dialogue for a Sustainable Future - 7 June 2017 TYK research & action consulting
Organising Committee Members (OC), in alphabetical order:
Max van Deursen, Dutch Youth Council Mary Kachavos, Dutch Youth Council Sylvia Ledya, Independent Leon van Maaren, Indonesian Diaspora Network Nederland Priscilla Rasyid, Indonesia Nederland Youth Society (INYS) Annisa Triyanti, Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS) of the University of Amsterdam
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INTRODUCTION
This report presents the proceedings of the Indonesian-Dutch Youth Dialogue for a
Sustainable Future. Exploring bilateral partnership on youth development and
engagement towards the Sustainable Development Goals held on 7 June 2017 in The
Hague, the Netherlands. The dialogue was hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of
Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and was collaboratively conducted by TYK
research & action consulting, Centre for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS) of the
University of Amsterdam, Indonesia Nederland Youth Society (INYS), Indonesian
Diaspora Network Nederland, and the Dutch Youth Council (NJR).
In the sections that follow the report presents the background against which the Youth
Dialogue took place (including its context, purpose, theme, objectives, and programme)
respectively its implementation proceedings (including welcoming words of the
Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands, introductory sessions, the results of group
discussions and related panel feedback, and closing remarks of the Indonesian
Embassy’s Educational and Cultural Attaché).
BACKGROUND
Context and purpose
On 1 January 2016, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) —often also referred to
as Global Goals— came officially into force for implementation during 2016-2030 as
part of so-called Agenda 2030.1 Building on the MDGs and other international
agreements, these goals are intended to address an array of global issues, including
poverty, gender equality, sustainable production and consumption, water availability,
energy and climate change. The SDGs underline that there are interconnections between
social and economic human well-being and the earth’s environmental conditions.
Differently from the MDGs, they apply to all countries, both developing and developed
nations. Common challenges such as climate change or poverty due to for instance
global trade or consumption are presumed to be solved more effectively if tackled in
partnership. Partnership towards the SDGs might have a bilateral, regional, or
multilateral character.
As noted by the Indonesian Ambassador in his foreword, the Netherlands and Indonesia
have been key strategic partners whereby reciprocity is central in any bilateral
cooperation with present priorities on the water sector, food security, legal and judicial
cooperation, and higher and vocational education.
The Indonesian-Dutch Youth Dialogue for a Sustainable Future was intended to identify
and explore areas of bilateral partnership in connection to youth development and
engagement in achieving the SDGs. It took place at a critical crossroad as Indonesia, the
1 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/ 21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf
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Netherlands, and other UN Member States had dealt with the negative effects of
economic globalisation and global environmental challenges such as climate change.
As global economic and trade competition have sternly increased, nationalism and
protectionism become more widespread, jeopardising the tackling of global issues which
can only be solved effectively in partnership beyond the country level. Against this
backdrop, the young are among those that tend to be left behind, the working poor,
underemployed, underpaid, or unemployed. Simultaneously, they are likely to be the
first to adopt new ideas and innovations, embrace alternative views, or come forward
with new concepts. In addition, as they are likely to benefit the most from technological
innovation and global economic change, they tend to be open to the idea of global
solutions to local problems, as well of local solutions to global problems.
Participants were representatives of youth-led and youth-focused organisations as well
young individuals from both countries, residing presently in the Netherlands. Among the
participants were students, (social) entrepreneurs, community leaders, activists, and
professionals. A list of Attendees is provided in Annex B.
Theme and subthemes
The Youth Dialogue focused on the theme:
Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world
which is the theme of the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) that will convene 10-19
July 2017 to review progress of the following SDGs: Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms
everywhere; Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and
promote sustainable agriculture; Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being
for all at all ages; Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls;
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization
and foster innovation; Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and
marine resources for sustainable development; and Goal 17: Strengthen the means of
implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.
Given current partnerships between Indonesia and the Netherlands mentioned above,
the Youth Dialogue focused on a segment of these seven SDGs, to wit Goal 1, Goal 2, and
Goal 17, as well as the cross-cutting Goal 5 in connection to gender. Furthermore, for
reason that Goal 8 —Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth,
full and productive employment and decent work for all— is highly relevant to the
Youth Dialogue’s theme, this particular SDG was another cross-cutting issue throughout
the discussions.
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Subtheme SDG1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
This subtheme focused on the challenges and possible solutions to end poverty in all its
forms everywhere among the youth population by shaping conditions for the creation of
decent and green employment as well entrepreneurship for the youth, while taking into
account gender equality in any efforts.
The younger population in both countries face challenges in terms of poverty,
employment, and education. While country contexts enormously differ, it is important to
exchange the lessons learned, achievements, and failures as experienced by the youth
themselves. Besides, it is essential to understand the challenges and identify solutions in
connection to the changing nature of jobs as they will shape the future of work for young
people and their opportunities.
Both Indonesia and the Netherlands are dealing with the negative effects of economic
globalisation and the global economy is not creating sufficient quality and quantity of
jobs for the youth. In both countries, the young are among those that tend to be left
behind, either underemployed, underpaid, among the working poor, or unemployed.
According to ILO, of the world’s youth, over 40% are today either unemployed or have a
job but live in poverty.2 In Indonesia and the Netherlands 18.6% respectively 10.4% of
the younger working population (aged 15-24) were unemployed in 2016.3
Nonetheless, particularly in emerging economies —Indonesia is one of them—
unemployment figures understate the true youth labour market problem. Large
numbers of young people are working, but earn too little to escape from poverty, to
easily fall back into poverty, or live in moderate poverty.4 Finding jobs have become
increasingly difficult and a growing share of the youth are neither employed nor in
education or training. This bears risks of skills deterioration, underemployment, and
discouragement.
Investing through the education system results in the highest returns, developing strong
foundational skills (literacy, numeracy), as well as job specific and transferable skills.5
Nevertheless, irrespective any educational conditions, today’s social, economic, and
ecological complexities and rapid, unprecedented changes require youth to be prepared
to aptly and responsibly respond to such challenges. Education should therefore also
provide the necessary approaches and tools to promote, deepen and transit to
sustainable development by embracing various forms and approaches to education,
training, and public awareness, as well continuously retuning the role of education in
response to changing needs associated with sustainable development.
2 ILO: http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/youth-employment/databases-platforms/global-initiative-decent-jobs/WCMS_487961/lang--en/index.htm 3 World Bank 2016 based on ILO estimate: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS 4 World Employment and Social Outlook 2016: Trends for Youth: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_513728/lang--en/index.htm 5 Transferable skills are important for young people to adapt to labour market changes, including new technologies, and for them to become successful entrepreneurs in the formal or informal sector.
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Gender equality is a must in seeking prosperity for all. It is the right thing to do as every
human being has a fundamental right to enjoy equal opportunity and treatment.6 It is
also the smart thing to do as countries should not let investments in young women go to
waste and tolerate discrimination at work, compromising the country’s economy and
labour market, as well hampering families, workplaces, businesses and societies to
prosper to the fullest extent.5
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers an exceptional opportunity to
incorporate youth policies into comprehensive sustainable development strategies.
Decent and green youth employment, social policies, and policies supporting youth
entrepreneurship are fundamental to inclusive and sustainable societies and to the
achievement of the SDGs.
Subtheme SDG2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition
and promote sustainable agriculture
This subtheme revolved around the challenges and possible solutions to ending hunger,
achieving food security and improved nutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture and
youth inclusion in agriculture for rejuvenation and creation of decent and green
employment, while taking into account gender equality in any efforts.
Discussion in plenary and focus groups paid attention to: sustainable agriculture and
food security,7 decent employment for youth in the agriculture sector(s), youth in the
rural economy and in food systems, secure and equal access to land,8 and emerging
issues in hunger, food security, and nutrition in contexts of economic globalisation and
global environmental challenges (e.g. climate change and ecosystem degradation).9
Within the set of 17 SDGs, SDG2 is an exceptionally strategic goal since it ties into
practically each of the other 16 goals. The interconnections between SDG1 (End poverty
in all its forms everywhere), SDG2, and SDG8 are particularly strong. About 795 million
people were undernourished globally in 2014 (of which 780 million in the South), implying
that just over one in nine people on the planet do not have enough to eat for leading a healthy
and active life.10
Yet, today’s hunger is not due to a lack of food supply, but simply
because millions of people cannot afford to buy enough quality food. This situation 6 Adapted from: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_143849.pdf 7 ‘Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, economic and social access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The four key dimensions of food security are availability, access, utilisation, and stability. The nutritional dimension is integral to the concept of food security.’ (World Food Summit, 1996) 8 Due to the limited time available in this Dialogue and its thematic scope, this essential yet complex subject will be attended too only as necessary and when emerging in the discussion. 9 In order to align the discussion to the UN Annual Youth Forum of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), these topics have been adopted the proceedings of the 6th Youth Forum of ECOSOC held in January 2017 in New York: http://www.un.org/youthenvoy/2017/01/2017-End-hunger-achieve-food-security-and-improved-nutrition-and-promote-sustainable-agriculture-30-31-january/ 10 The state of food insecurity in the world 2015. Meeting the 2015 International hunger targets: Taking
stock of uneven progress. FAO, IFAD and WPF: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4646e.pdf
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applies to growing economies as well, of which Indonesia is an example. Yet remarkably,
in the much more prosperous Netherlands, the number of people who cannot buy
enough quality food has increased in recent years.
In general, in reducing hunger and poverty, agricultural growth in low-income and
agrarian economies is twice as effective as growth in other sectors. From a sustainable
development view, effective hunger and poverty reduction results in society’s high
returns since well nourished people live, learn and work longer, in turn contributing to
achieving their societies’ aspirations and inclusive economic growth.
In Indonesia as well the Netherlands, productive farmers are ageing while the younger
section of the rural population tend not to be very attracted by engagements or jobs in
the agriculture sector. Especially in Indonesia, the majority of rural youth are employed
in the informal economy as family workers, subsistence farmers, home-based micro-
entrepreneurs, or unskilled workers. Wages, particularly among youngsters, are
typically low with work arrangements often casual or seasonal of character with
insecure health, safety, and other social security. These conditions drive many to resort
to other income sources such as urban jobs. Engaging youth in agriculture can mean
three different kinds of “rejuvenation” of agriculture: i) contributing to food system
sustainability, ii) tackling social issues in connection to youth unemployment, poverty,
and migration, and iii) contributing to economic growth. An effective engagement of
young people in the agriculture sector can therefore be a triple-win for communities,
countries, and the global society.
Nevertheless, accessing the agriculture sector may be off-putting for young people and
an enabling environment that would address their specific aspirations and challenges is
often lacking. For instance, there is limited access to education and training tailored to
the needs of the youth labour market, a lack of financial and business development
services accessible for youth (particularly services that operate in the private sector), a
lack of quality and green jobs that are also gainful to young people, and severe gender
inequalities affecting labour markets in rural areas.
In targeting at SDG2, agriculture needs of course to be sustainable.11 This entails that
sustainable agriculture should target at multiple objectives. Agriculture highly depends
on ecosystem services and for the sector to be sustainable, agricultural production
should minimise its negative impacts on the environment. At the same time, natural
resources should be used efficiently by optimising production processes by protecting,
conserving and (re)creating natural resources. The core challenge of agriculture that is
sustainable is to protect agro-ecosystems and simultaneously meet society’s needs for
foods and for decent and resilient livelihoods of both the rural and urban population.
11 According to FAO (1988), sustainable agriculture is: ‘The management and conservation of the natural resource base, and the orientation of technological change in such a manner as to ensure the attainment of continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations. Sustainable agriculture conserves land, water, and plant and animal genetic resources, and is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable.’
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In particular SDG2 is closely interconnected to SDG5 in connection to prevalent gender
inequalities for reason that in the natural resources sector (agriculture, forestry,
fisheries) women and girls are on the frontlines and compared to men and boys tend to
bear more risk to be deeply impacted by food and nutrition insecurity, poverty, climate
change, and global economic crises.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an excellent opportunity to
incorporate youth policies into comprehensive sustainable development strategies.
Decent and green youth employment in agriculture, agricultural policies, and public and
private policies supporting youth entrepreneurship are fundamental to inclusive and
sustainable societies and to the achievement of the SDG2 and the other SDGs.
Subtheme SDG17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the
global partnership for sustainable development
This subtheme dealt with the aspect of global partnership for sustainable development
as it relates to decent and green employment as well entrepreneurship for the youth,
while taking into account gender equality in any efforts.
Whilst Dutch-Indonesian bilateral partnership is considered part of this global
partnership, as signatories of the 2030 Agenda, the two countries are committed: ‘(...) to
the full implementation of this new Agenda. We recognize that we will not be able to
achieve our ambitious Goals and targets without a revitalized and enhanced Global
Partnership and comparably ambitious means of implementation. The revitalized Global
Partnership will facilitate an intensive global engagement in support of implementation of
all the Goals and targets (...).’ 12 Both Indonesia and the Netherlands recognise that: ‘The
scale and ambition of the new Agenda required a revitalized Global Partnership to ensure
its implementation. We fully commit to this. This Partnership will work in a spirit of global
solidarity, in particular solidarity with the poorest and with people in vulnerable
situations. It will facilitate an intensive global engagement in support of implementation of
all the Goals and targets, bringing together Governments, the private sector, civil society,
the United Nations system and other actors for mobilizing all available resources.’ 13
The Global Partnership is complemented by multistakeholder partnerships for the
mobilising and sharing of knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources. To
this end, effective public-public-private and civil society partnerships should be
encouraged and promoted.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development explicitly refers to young people as key
agents of change and with this the Agenda recognises the demographic reality that there
are 1.8 billion young people worldwide, with a majority living in developing countries
where in many cases an overwhelming majority represents the population. In 2016, of
12 Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf 13 Ibid.
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Indonesia’s population about 17% is aged 15-24 years, coming close to 44 million
people,14 while 12% of the Dutch population is 15-24 years of age, approaching 6.8
million people.15 Clearly, Dutch-Indonesian partnership, as part of the global
partnership, should reflect concerns and ambitions of the youth with adequate attention
to their empowerment, participation, and well-being. Nonetheless, more crucially,
partnerships must engage young people themselves as agents of the development
process who can importantly contribute to achieving the SDGs.
The development of policies can only be effective when they involve the actions of youth
and take account of their views, potentials, and the challenges faced. Mechanisms should
therefore be in place to facilitate and enable consultations with young people in policy
formation and programme delivery. Yet, designing policies and programmes that
incorporate grounded understanding of the constraints facing young people, is not easy.
It requires a serious effort in problem diagnosis based on direct consultation and
involvement with young people. Moreover, tools and methods to assessing what works
and what not, as well possible impacts when involving youth, need to be developed, if
not available.
Multi-stakeholder partnerships that are committed to youth should have built-in
mechanisms to connect with them on the one, and facilitate youth to linking-up with the
partnerships on the other hand. Development programmes with a youth perspective
should provide operational support to youth-led organisations and social entrepreneurs
in their service delivery.
Gender equality is a must in seeking prosperity for all. It is the right thing to do as every
human being has a fundamental right to enjoy equal opportunity and treatment.16 It is
also the smart thing to do as countries should not let investments in young women go to
waste and tolerate discrimination when putting youth at the centre of development in
any efforts of partnership.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers an exceptional opportunity to
incorporate youth policies into comprehensive sustainable development strategies.
Youth inclusive partnerships and policies and programmes are fundamental to inclusive
and sustainable societies and to the achievement of the SDGs.
14 http://www.indexmundi.com/indonesia/demographics_profile.html 15 http://www.indexmundi.com/netherlands/demographics_profile.html 16 Adapted from: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_143849.pdf
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Objectives
The objectives of the Youth Dialogue were:
To create a platform for the sharing of knowledge and experience in connection to
youth development and engagement in promoting and implementing the SDGs in the
Netherlands and Indonesia.
To explore areas of partnership between the two countries for advancing the youth
development agenda at national, bilateral, and multilateral policy and
implementation levels.
To explore ways to enhance dialogue between Indonesian and Dutch youth country
representatives and Member Countries in UN forums, such as the HLPF and to
contribute meaningfully to the Annual Youth Forum of ECOSOC, c.q. the annual forum
of 2018.
Structure and programme
The set-up of the Youth Dialogue, which lasted five hours, was as such that it shaped
conditions for an active and creative engagement of participants to garnering their
views. It was broadly divided in two parts: plenary introductory presentations and
breakouts for discussions in smaller groups. The group discussions were facilitated by
facilitators while resource persons with expertise in various development and
professional areas were available for consultations. Plenary presentations of the results
of the group discussions followed and feedback subsequently provided by a panel. The
programme was as follows:
Programme
MC: Mr. Reza Pamudji, Indonesia Nederland Youth Society (INYS)
15:00-15:10 Opening by H.E. I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
15:10-15:20 Introduction: The SDGS and why this Dialogue - Ms. Yanti Kusumanto, Coordinator Indonesian-Dutch Youth Dialogue for a Sustainable Future - 7 June 2017, TYK research & action consulting
15:20-15:45 Youth development and engagement towards the SDGs - Mr. Max van Deursen, Dutch Youth Representative to the UN on Sustainable Development and Ms. Annisa Triyanti, Youth Focal Point Science Policy Interface on Disaster Risk Reduction of UN Major Group for Children and Youth and Ph.D. Candidate, Centre for Sustainable Development Studies, University of Amsterdam
15:45-16:00 Coffee/Tea Break 16:05-16:20 Learning and collaborating for sustainable development - Ms. Hansje
Eppink, Lecturer Teaching, Learning and Capacity Building for Sustainable Development, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University and Research
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16:20-16:45 Best practices: Examples from the Netherlands and Indonesia - Ms. Priscilla Rasyid, Vice-Chairman INYS and Mr. Leon van Maaren, Board Member and Driver Business Development Task Force, Indonesian Diaspora Network Nederland
16:45-16:50 Introduction to Focus Group Discussion, Ms. Yanti Kusumanto 16:50-17:50 Focus Group Discussion
FGD 1: Goal 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Facilitators: Ms. Solita Sarwono Ph.D., Psychologist, Sociologist, Health Educator and Gender Specialist and Mr. Arend van Woerden, Consultant Water, Climate and Urban Development, Sweco Nederland
FGD 2: Goal 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Facilitators: Mr. Marcel Beukeboom, Climate Envoy, Kingdom of the Netherlands and Mr. Yohanes Sondang Kunto, Ph.D Candidate Sociology of Consumption and Households Group, Wageningen University and Research
FGD 3: Goal 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
Facilitators: Mr. Max van Deursen, Dutch Youth Representative to the UN on Sustainable Development and Ms. Annisa Triyanti, Youth Focal Point Science Policy Interface on Disaster Risk Reduction of UN Major Group for Children and Youth
Cross-cutting issues:
Goal 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Resource persons: Ms. Hansje Eppink, Lecturer Teaching, Learning and Capacity Building for Sustainable Development, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University and Research Ms. Mary Kachavos, Dutch UN Youth Representative to UNESCO Ms. Ciska Kuijper, Gender Mainstreaming Advisor, Oxfam Novib Mr. Leon van Maaren, Business Development and Social Security Expert, Indonesian Diaspora Network Nederland Mr. Andrei Marantek, Coordinator Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Mr. Hugo von Meijenfeldt, National Coordinator SDGs Implementation, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Suzanne Naafs Ph.D., Independent Researcher & Consultant Youth, Education and Work in Indonesia Ms. Vanessa Umboh, Social Entrepreneur and Founder Stichting Stem zonder Gezicht Mr. Bambang Hari Wibisono Ph.D., Educational and Cultural Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
17:50-18:30 Prayer and dinner break
18:30-19:30 Plenary: Presentations of Focus Group Discussions and Panel Feedback
Moderator: Ms. Priscilla Rasyid, Vice-Chairman INYS
18:30-18:45 - FGD Pitch Presentations
18:45-19:30 - Panel Feedback
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Panellists:
Ms. Mary Kachavos, Dutch UN Youth Representative to UNESCO Ms. Ciska Kuijper, Gender Mainstreaming Advisor, Oxfam Novib
Mr. Hugo von Meijenfeldt, National Coordinator SDGs Implementation, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Suzanne Naafs Ph.D., Independent Researcher & Consultant Youth, Education and Work in Indonesia Ms. Vanessa Umboh, Social Entrepreneur and Founder Stem zonder Gezicht Foundation Mr. Bambang Hari Wibisono Ph.D., Educational and Cultural Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
19:30-19:50 Conclusions and action points
Rapporteur: Ms. Annisa Triyanti, Youth Focal Point Science Policy Interface on Disaster Risk Reduction of UN Major Group for Children and Youth
19:50-20:00 Closing by Mr. Bambang Hari Wibisono Ph.D., Educational and Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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WELCOMING REMARKS: H.E. I Gusti Wesaka Puja, Ambassador of the Republic of
Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
H.E. Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Netherlands officially welcomed the
group of attendees of the Youth Dialogue and emphasised the importance of cooperation
between the two countries in connection to the SDGs. He referred to the role that
Indonesia had played in formulating the SDGs prior to official establishment in 2015.
Indonesia’s former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was appointed Co-Chair of the
High-Level Panel besides former President of Liberia and former UK Prime Minister to
explore the Post-2015 Agenda based on achievements of the MDGs by 2015. However, as
the Ambassador noted, also the Netherlands importantly contributed to developing the
SDGs, namely by actively participating in inter-governmental SDGs working groups
related to thematic UN consultations, such as in connection to water issues.
The Ambassador made note of the importance of cooperation between the Netherlands
and Indonesia, not only due to a shared history but also because of the SDGs’ focus on
poverty reduction, the sharing of prosperity, the upholding of human rights, climate
change, and global security, which need collaboration between countries in order to
achieve targets. He underlined that in this respect partnerships in connection to youth
are crucial for the simple reason that the future is theirs.
H.E. Ambassador believed that the Youth Dialogue is a crucial event given the difficult
challenges the youth in both countries are facing at present and will face in the future to
achieve sustainable development.
Finally, he expressed his gratitude to all organisations and individuals that had given
support and efforts to realising this Youth Dialogue and wished all attendees a fruitful
gathering.
12
INTRODUCTORY SESSIONS
Introduction and why this dialogue: Yanti Kusumanto, Coordinator Indonesian-
Dutch Youth Dialogue for a Sustainable Future, TYK research & action consulting
Yanti Kusumanto forwarded on behalf of the OC her gratitude to the Indonesian
Embassy to the Netherlands, headed by H.E. Ambassador, for generously hosting the
Youth Dialogue and to the Educational and Cultural Attaché for his kind support and
guidance in preparing and conducting the event. She was happy to see so many
interested people attending the event and forwarded her appreciation to the dialogue’s
Facilitators, Panellists, and Speakers for their availability and contributions.
Ms. Yanti then noted that while there had been prior events that discussed ideas of
sustainable development, it was in fact the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 that laid down the
concept as guiding concept for societies to organise themselves on a sustainable basis.
This is depicted in the so-called sustainable development triangle grounded on the three
pillars of People, Profit, and Planet (see Annex D.1 for PowerPoint presentation).
Sustainable development can only be achieved if there is balance between the three
pillars. This implies that actions should be taken and policies and decisions made that
are not only based on interests, but also on responsibilities towards each other and the
planet. In other words, actions, policies, and decisions must be geared towards economic
growth (profit) that takes account of the social context (people) and the environment
(planet).
Recalling the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, world leaders adopted the SDGs in 2015 while
witnessing that after more than two decades not much had been achieved on sustainable
development. Ms. Yanti subsequently referred to the three objectives of the Youth
Dialogue: creating platform for knowledge and experience sharing on youth
development and engagement in promoting and implementing the SDGs; exploring
bilateral partnership for advancing the youth development agenda at various levels; and
exploring ways to enhance dialogue between Indonesian and Dutch youth country
representatives and Member Countries in UN forums.
Youth development and engagement towards the SDGs: Max van Deursen,
Dutch Youth Representative to the UN on Sustainable Development, Dutch Youth Council
and Annisa Triyanti, Youth Focal Point Science Policy Interface on Disaster Risk
Reduction of UN Major Group for Children and Youth and Ph.D. Candidate, Centre for
Sustainable Development Studies, University of Amsterdam
The present session was participatory in that the presentation on youth development
and engagement was combined with active participation by attendees in a real-time quiz
in connection to the subject. After an introduction by Max van Deursen respectively
Annisa Triyanti about themselves and a short explanation about the content and
structure of the session, attendees were invited to join a Kahoot! quiz. The quiz was
intended to trigger people to think about the meaning of youth development and
13
engagement, how to measure them, with what indicators, and how globally the
Netherlands and Indonesia rank on the different dimensions. On some quiz questions,
responses from participants did surprisingly not fully match with the situation reflected
by YDI.
After the quiz, Ms. Annisa and Mr. Max presented the concept of youth development and
engagement and shared the situation in each of the two countries in this regard (see
Annex D.2 for PowerPoint presentation):
Youth development is multi-dimensional. It can be seen from different perspectives,
including psychological (i.e. ways in which young people grow emotionally and
construct identities), sociological (i.e. the ways in which experiences provide
opportunities for life management and distinct, culturally-shaped, perspectives on the
world), and through assets-based approach (i.e. impacted by the transmission of
inequalities between generations). The Commonwealth has defined five indicators in its
latest Global Youth Development Index (YDI) 2016 using five indicators to assess youth
development, including health and well-being, education, employment, civic
participation, and political participation.17
Global ranking using YDI, shows for Indonesia and the Netherlands the following
positions: on education and employment, the Netherlands is very advanced, although as
shown in our session, this position does not fully reflect the real situation, revealing
future uncertainty when it comes to education for sustainable development (e.g.
apprenticeship or life-long learning) and future jobs. Interestingly, Indonesia ranks
relatively high on civic participation as active youth volunteerism has flourished in
diverse areas such as social and environment areas and in creative businesses.
Learning and collaborating for sustainable development: Hansje Eppink,
Lecturer Teaching, Learning and Capacity Building for Sustainable Development,
Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University and Research
Hansje Eppink’s talk revolved around the question why learning for sustainable
development is crucial to achieve the SDGs, what it entails, and what it implies for the
design and facilitation of learning (see Annex D.3 for PowerPoint presentation). She
noted that sustainability (and for that matter sustainable development) has been widely
used in various areas (science, policy, practice, political areas, etc.). Yet over time,
concepts have been constantly changing due to prevailing ideas, perceived needs, and
interests of the time.
Ms. Hansje underlined that the design of learning and training on sustainability is
importantly determined by the characteristic of the problem dealt with: this could be
either ‘simple’, ‘complex’, or ‘wicked’. She subsequently introduced the audience on
three key principles of education for sustainable development: education for society
(equipping students to navigate the challenges of our time, thereby responding to
17 http://youthdevelopmentindex.org/
14
societal challenges and transforming our world); education with society (taking account
of the needs, values and aspirations of societal actors); and education to ‘whole’ persons
(i.e. learning to know, to care/be, and to do).
These principles, Ms. Hansje followed, imply that given sustainability competences (or
so-called sustain ‘abilities’) should be the core targets of educational programmes and
curricula, e.g. dimension of being critical or that of being able to innovate. With such
competences individuals would be ready to effectively deal with sustainability problems,
be they simple, complex, or ‘wicked’. To that end, training designs may need a mix of
approaches, incorporating technological as well societal developments. The audience
was then asked ‘Where would you position your own education?’ to encourage them to
reflect on their own educational experience. An example of an education approach to
sustainable development is ‘Gaia education’, which holistically embraces four
educational dimensions: social, economic, ecological, and worldviews. This approach
was illustrated by a video, showing Gaia education activities in the Amazon forest.
Best practices: Examples from the Netherlands and Indonesia: Priscilla Rasyid,
Vice-Chairman INYS and Leon van Maaren, Board Member and Driver Business
Development Task Force, Indonesian Diaspora Network Nederland
After introducing themselves, Priscilla Rasyid and Leon van Maaren shared the session’s
structure and content (see Annex D.4 for PowerPoint presentation). Ms. Priscilla
subsequently described Dutch and Indonesian examples of best practices in connection
to SDG1, SDG2, SDG17 with cross-cutting SDG5 and SDG8, which are: Instock (cooking
unsold food products), FRANK (Fairtrade tea), iGrow (marketplace for farmers), and
Wangsa Jelita (social enterprise empowering women famers). A most inspiring Skype
interview with Melati and Isabel Wijsen followed, conducted and recorded by Priscilla.
The sisters Wijsen aged of around 15 are founders of the Bye Bye Plastic Bag project in
Bali, Indonesia, illustrate how the young through activism and leadership can bring
about real change at the local level while inspiring others locally and globally.
Against the backdrop of the best practices from the Netherlands and Indonesia shared
by Ms. Priscilla, Mr. Van Maaren’s talked on the issue of youth unemployment in
connection to government policies in both countries. A comparison between the
situations in the two countries followed in relation to the SDGs discussed at the Youth
Dialogue. He noted that in the Netherlands youth unemployment remains a structural
problem. However, despite prevailing youth unemployment, the country performs
relatively well. Decentralised policies have led to many different educational policies
and in order to tackle youth unemployment, intensive coaching programmes of school
leavers have been successful. The unemployment problem in Indonesia is of quite a
different nature and scale. About half of its population is under 30 years of age and this
demographic bonus can become a disaster if it cannot be absorbed by employment
opportunities. Education is key while preparing the youth for this demographic reality
and engaging them in decision-making.
15
FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS: RESULTS AND PLENARY FEEDBACK
This section presents the results of the three FGDs and subsequent panel feedback. The
three focus groups each discussed one of the three subthemes SDG1, SDG2, or SDG17
introduced in section Theme and Subthemes on page 2 onwards. Discussion questions,
FGD format, and facilitation tips are provided in Annex C.
FGD1: Subtheme SDG1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Objective: Identify innovative solutions and young women and men’s contribution to
poverty alleviation and the promotion of decent and green jobs as well as
entrepreneurship for youth in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Expected results18
A set of recommendations on actions conducive to ending poverty and promoting decent
and green jobs for the youth across above two strategic topics reflecting today’s
challenges and the future of work that might also inform discussions on the
implementation, follow-up, and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
Identified challenges: a) SDG1 urges us to recognise that poverty —including in
connection to youth— exists everywhere and that it confronts Indonesia as well as the
more prosperous Netherlands. Challenges in connection to poverty are universal and it
is therefore important to learn from the failures and achievements as experienced by
each country. b) Poverty eradication among the younger population could be tackled by
the promotion of decent and green jobs, as well the creation of enabling conditions for
youth entrepreneurship to thrive. Solutions could potentially be sought with the youth
themselves. Yet, we are faced with questions if the young are well equipped and
prepared to be successful entrepreneurs and be business leaders of the future; if existing
educational systems suffice to build the necessary knowledge and skills; and if policies
and service deliveries are in place to help young people become entrepreneurs and
business leaders.
See also Annex D.5 for presentation slides of FGD 1results.
Potential solution: Poverty in both countries, especially where it matters the younger
populations, can potentially be tackled by making improvements in existing educational
systems so that they are designed and regulated more explicitly to help alleviate and
anticipate poverty. Such educational systems should necessarily be put in place by
innovative education policies, as well as supported by related sector policies (e.g.
agriculture, financial sector, social affairs).
18 In order to align the discussion to the UN Annual Youth Forum of ECOSOC, expected results have been adapted from the proceedings of the 6th Youth Forum of ECOSOC held in January 2017 in New York: http://www.un.org/youthenvoy/2017/01/2017-ecosoc-youth-forum-role-youth-poverty-eradication-promoting-prosperity-changing-world-30-31-january/
16
Recommendations:
School curricula and programmes should be geared to trigger children and youth’s
interests and be better aligned with market demands for current and future (youth)
employment.
In both the Netherlands and Indonesia, schoolteachers (in particular at primary
education level) tend to be female, with possible implications in terms of youth
development and future opportunities and orientation. Opportunities should be
created to educate/train male teachers so that school personnel are more gender-
balanced.
Serious efforts should be made to truly provide equal access to education for boys
and girls (SDG4). In many localities in Indonesia, boys and young men tend to be
prioritised when parents have to send either sons or daughters to school. This could
seriously limit future opportunities for girls and young women and hinder them to
live their lives fully. A possible solution in this regard, is the introduction of social
policies in support of poor families.
Governments should improve access to education by shaping forms of education
other than merely through the school system: a good option is distant (online)
education. It is the government’s responsibility to provide the infrastructure that is
necessary to bring this about.
Improve student’s motivation to engage in participatory learning and education.
This would require capacity development with schoolteachers to facilitate learning
processes with students and better provision of education facilities (i.e. the use of
technology and innovative tools for learning).
Bilateral partnerships should include education and training programmes in
connection to the development of soft skills with young people (e.g. leadership, team
management, communication skills, etc.). In addition, it is recommended that
bilateral partnerships should focus on vocational education rather than the mere
attention to higher and academic of education.
Panel feedback
There is no instant solution to poverty and it is not only a right thing but also a smart
thing to do to see education as instrumental to solving problems connected to poverty,
both in Indonesia and the Netherlands. This is the more so where it matters poverty
among the younger population and policymakers are expected to solve youth
unemployment.
We should also recognise, however, that poverty does not exist in a vacuum, it is existent
in relation to the prevalence of unequal distribution of wealth among different sections
of the population—hence where gaps exist between the poor and the rich. Education
would not suffice to confront skewed social-economic inequalities. In Indonesia, severe
inequalities of access to school prevail and still much has to be done if the country wants
17
to achieve ‘education for all’ (SDG4). There, the better off tend to more easily afford to
send their children to quality schools and higher education, which usually are more
costly.
Nonetheless, although education might be an effective strategy for poverty eradication
among youth, one should be realistic about what it could do for their development and
their future, and what it could not. Potential alternatives can be offered by community
and network approaches. This applies particularly to farmer communities and education
of the youth and of young farmers in such communities. Policies and service deliveries
should attend much more to finding and developing enabling ecosystems for such
communities to flourish through education and capacity building.
A crucial aspect of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development is that the 17 SDGs did not
emerge out of the blue. They are all closely interconnected and the achievement of one
goal or leaving it behind, has implications for achieving or disregarding other goals.
Education for poverty is important, but we should not disconnect these development
dimensions from other aspects of sustainable development. Economic growth (SDG8),
for instance, is important for both countries yet for economic growth to be in support of
sustainable development it should simultaneously tackle poverty (SDG1) by putting for
example effective social and wealth distributional policies and regulations in order to
equally distribute economic gains between different population groups.
It is crucial to incorporate a gender perspective in education and curricula throughout
the educational system to allow both boys and girls to realize their full potential.
Inequality in general, and gender inequality in particular, are among the greatest
barriers to sustainable development and poverty reduction. School programmes should
be designed as such that they can trigger insights with students and teachers alike what
inclusive and sustainable development is about and how to learn and take action
towards realising it.
FGD2: SDG2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and
promote sustainable agriculture
Objective:
To identify priority challenges in need of action to ensure sustainable agriculture and
youth inclusion in agriculture for rejuvenation and creation of decent and green
employment
To identify potential roles of young people in bilateral efforts in these subjects and
discuss the way youth can contribute to these efforts and in implementation of SDG2
To foster a youth engagement plan towards this
To identify emerging issues in hunger, food security and nutrition and how they
relate to youth.
18
Expected results
A set of recommendations on actions conducive to ending hunger, achieving food
security and improved nutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture and youth inclusion
in agriculture for rejuvenation and creation of decent and green employment. This
should reflect today’s challenges and the future of youth rural work, potentially
informing discussion on the implementation, follow-up, and review of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development at national, bilateral and multilateral levels.
Identified challenges:
Basic food education and eating habits: Basic education and training of children and
youth in connection to the production and processing of foods (e.g. where foods come
from and what it takes to get these on our dinner plate), healthy foods, healthy
cooking, and responsible eating habits are crucial for leading a healthy, happy and
prosperous live, as well to responsibly manage the planet’s resources. Tackling
problems that revolve around these subjects make explicit the interconnections
between SDG2 and many other goals, such as SDG8 (economic growth), SDG1
(poverty), and SDG13 (climate change).
Ageing farmer: In Indonesia as well the Netherlands, productive farmers are ageing
while the young tend to show little interest in engagements or jobs in agriculture.
Especially in Indonesia, the majority of rural youth are employed in the informal
economy as family workers, subsistence farmers, home-based micro-entrepreneurs,
or unskilled workers.19 Wages, particularly among youngsters, are typically low with
work arrangements often casual or seasonal of character with insecure health, safety,
and other social security, driving many to resort to other income sources such as jobs
in urban areas.
Sustainable agriculture: In aiming at SDG2, agriculture needs of course be sustainable,
implying that agriculture should target at a variety of objectives. Agriculture highly
depends on ecosystem services and for the sector to be sustainable, agricultural
production should minimise its negative impacts on the environment. At the same
time, natural resources should be used efficiently by optimising production processes
by protecting, conserving and (re)creating natural resources. The core challenge of
sustainable agriculture is to protect agro-ecosystems and simultaneously meet
society’s needs for foods and for decent and resilient livelihoods of both the rural and
urban population.
19 Currently, AKATIGA policy research institute in Bandung is researching whether young Indonesians are interested in becoming farmers: http://www.akatiga.org
19
Potential solutions and recommendations
With ageing farmer communities in both countries, raising awareness among the
youth on how ‘sexy’ farming could be for the young is necessary. Widely perceived
negative images about agriculture and farming should change by promoting
agriculture as a highly valued sector, socially, economically, and ecologically.
Negative images of farming and agriculture are partly due to the relatively low
financial gains farmers and farmer communities enjoy in agriculture. This applies to
situations in both countries. A possible solution could be offered by more widely
incorporate fair trade principles in the agriculture sector, in the end providing
farmers with fair incomes and benefits.
Educators and policy makers should find innovative ways how to educate agriculture
and farming to the young, as well reach out to the wider public and those outside the
education sector that should also be engaged in the design and implementation of
new ways in agricultural education and training.
Systematic approach to market-based farming would attract the young more than
the more conventional forms of agriculture and farming.
A possible solution to declining interest of agriculture among the young is
stimulating parents for introducing the benefits and modalities of farming and
agriculture to their children.
Lastly, it is recommended that innovative agriculture and farming be promoted
among the youth by introducing systems of awards and incentives.
Panel feedback
Given current and future social, economic, and ecological challenges confronted by
Indonesia, exploring strategies and concrete actions in connection to sustainable
agriculture is highly relevant and urgent. Bilateral partnerships should be explored that
could offer cooperative ways in facing these challenges. Where it matters educating the
young on agriculture, farming, and foods, the immense challenge that lies ahead is the
promotion of agriculture and farming as a promising sector that offers the young
attractive and decent jobs, as well a prosperous future. Recently, some Indonesian
agricultural faculties were closed due to decreasing numbers of students.
Above gloomy picture (which to some extent holds true as well to the Netherlands)
necessitates schools and higher education to seek effective ways to more embed
agricultural education curricula and programmes in current social, economic, and
ecological contexts. They should also be better aligned with the interests and ambitions
of the young. To this end, education policies pursued by schools and government
departments and agencies should be at place which effectively capture the interests of
the youth. A continuous reflection on failures and achievements of education policies
should be carried out, and identified flaws in policies consistently retuned.
20
The focus of agricultural education policies and school programmes should be on
curricula and teaching and learning methods where children and youth more closely
interact with nature and enable students learn from agriculture and farming in ‘real live’
and local contexts.
Promoting agriculture and farming among the youth by governments or public agencies, however, should not be limited to education and training. Governments should develop creative and innovative approaches and tools to effectively promote sustainable agriculture, necessarily inviting businesses, philanthropists, civil society groups, and others to join hands. Bilateral partnerships could offer ways to exchange experience, explore opportunities, and initiate collaborative activities for implementation by government, non-public organisations, businesses, groups, and individuals.
Partnership between the Netherlands and Indonesia should, as has been recommended by the group, embrace different levels of education. Educating the young at vocational level is a necessity, yet governments and others should find ways to better value and reward vocational jobs and promote this more widely. Two forms of agriculture, i.e. agriculture that uses advanced technology and agriculture that focuses more on biological and agri-ecological modalities of agricultural systems should be taken into account when promoting agriculture with the young. The incorporation of traditional and indigenous knowledge in agriculture and natural resource management, often residing with rural women, is thereby crucial. Nevertheless, in our quest to bring youth on board we should not forget the valuable contribution of (older) women to agriculture and the knowledge of natural resource management they often have, from which youth can also learn a great deal. 20
FGD3: SDG17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global
partnership for sustainable development
Objective: Identify possible partnerships between Indonesian and Dutch youth in
implementing Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, as well as exchange views and
experience on ways of facilitating consultations with young people in the formulation of
policies and delivery of programmes focused on sustainable development both within
country and in bilateral partnerships.
Expected results
An overview of existing cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia and
individual country initiatives which hold potentials for bilateral partnerships
A set of priorities of development issues related to SDGs potential for partnerships
between the two countries
A map of current ways in which young people are consulted in policy formulation and
programme delivery in connection to sustainable development, what their flaws are,
as well possible improvements
20 See for example: https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/indigenous-women-climate-change-first-voice
21
Recommendations on mechanisms for better youth representation in multilateral
events related to SDGs based on the lessons learned by Dutch Youth Representative
to the UN.
Identified areas of potential partnerships:
Innovation and technology: Youth in both countries tend to be the first to adopt new
ideas and innovations. Besides, they are likely to benefit the most from technological
innovation and global economic change, which in turn open opportunities for youth-led
and youth-focused partnerships. A potential opportunity for bilateral partnerships is
on technological innovations related to clean and renewable energy, an area in which
the Dutch are on the frontlines globally and from which Indonesians could benefit in
many diverse ways.
Knowledge transfer through formal and informal education: Finding jobs for the young
have become increasingly difficult in both countries. A growing share is neither
employed nor in education or training, which bears risks of skills deterioration,
underemployment, and discouragement. Whatever existing educational systems in
place, today’s social, economic, and ecological complexities and rapid, unprecedented
changes require youth to respond aptly and responsibly to such challenges. Education
should therefore also provide the necessary approaches and tools to promote
sustainable development by means of formal as well informal education, including
those that continuously retune its role in meeting changing needs associated with
sustainable development. Partnerships on these kinds of education could offer both
countries potentially effective strategies towards youth development and solving
youth unemployment.
Sexual reproduction and health
The issue of sexual reproduction health and rights among youth is rarely discussed at
global forums and events. There is a serious disconnect between policy,
implementation of programmes, and health systems, especially in developing and
middle-income countries, including Indonesia. In fact, youth have a very high risk of
sexual health deterioration, yet at the same time due to prevailing socio-cultural
norms in Indonesia this issue is surrounded by taboos and hence little awareness of
what it entails among the wider public. Partnerships between Indonesia and the
Netherlands could help in raising awareness and seeking possible solutions to tackle
related problems. Cooperation could be focused on training, capacity development,
and awareness raising among youth and the wider public in both countries.
Environment
Tackling climate change is a shared and global responsibility. Youth from around the
globes have already taken various actions to confront climate change associated with
environmental protection through volunteerism. Indonesian and Dutch youth are
very active in initiating and running projects to support sustainable development
from the environmental angle. Several examples were presented in one of the
introductory sessions of this Youth Dialogue, of which one fine example is the “Bye-
bye plastic bag” project initiated by two Dutch-Indonesian sisters in Bali of around 15
22
years of age to help solve the plastic pollution problem on the island.21 There may be
other good initiatives that may not have surfaced yet in the mass media and need to
be explored. Partnerships between Indonesian and Dutch youth could be centred on
the exchange of and learning about similar success stories. Another possible
cooperation might aim at developing an inventory of initiatives and exploring ways to
leverage their impacts through collaboration.
Recommendations
i) Role of youth:
It is recommended that cooperation between the two countries be focused on an all-
inclusive training programme in that a wide and balanced variety of eductional
needs are accomodated in support of sustainable development. Partnerships should
incorporate a diverse spectrum of educational approaches at different educational
levels (including vocational education and life-long learning), using formal, informal,
public awareness, and community approaches. This necessitates the engagement of a
wide array of actors in education, such as business actors, civil society, community
groups, and new actors often less obviously involved in education.
It is also recommended that training on youth development and engagement is
necessary for policy makers and politicians (e.g. parliament members), which could
be initiated in partnership, besides the need for encouraging inter-generational
collaboration.
Nonetheless, raising awareness on youth development and engagement with policy
makers as mentioned above would not suffice and efforts should be done to attain
society-wide outreach. Partnerships could offer different approaches on how to do
this effectively.
Partnerships could also provide effective ways for youth in each of the two countries
to learn from different worldviews; as well to see that there are common and
universal elements of sustainable development.
ii) A possible role of the Indonesian Embassy (or for that matter also of the Dutch
Embassy in Jakarta) could be in functioning as a ‘hub’ from where young people and
others could connect to each other, start relationships, and develop partnerships.
iii) Potential initiatives for collaboration:
Formation of youth committees on a variety of themes relevant to both countries
Within the context of Indonesia, exploring possible pathways for developing youth
representation structures at local and provincial levels, and learning from the
failures, challenges, and achievements as experienced by Dutch youth
representatives
Bilateral cooperation should be focused on common and shared problems faced by
both countries, such as climate and environmental issues, poverty, education for
sustainable development, and youth unemployment.
21 In seeking partnership, this project might be linked to the Dutch ‘Plastic soup foundation’ which has a children/youth section: https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/psf-junior/
23
Panel feedback
As part of the global partnership referred to in SDG17, bilateral cooperation between the
two countries in connection to youth development and engagement can take the form of
platforms where youth and other groups from both countries could share views and
experience, as well as initiate concrete actions. Such platforms should not necessarily be
formal of character. Informal platforms could be very effective in facilitating
communication and cooperation towards achieving the SDGs.
Nevertheless, serious thinking and actions should also be put to seek bilateral platforms
that are formal in nature. We could for instance think of formal structures that link-up
with multi-lateral events on sustainable development, such as the UN HLPF on the SDGs.
Both Indonesia and the Netherlands are part of the HLPF and bilateral youth platforms
that some way connect to these events and forums are recommendable.
The fact that the Indonesian Embassy hosted an event to discuss bilateral partnership on
youth is quite unique and much gratefulness should be forwarded to the Embassy. This
should surely be followed-up with concrete actions, both at country level as well as
bilaterally.
It is crucial that bilateral partnerships are designed and developed for the exchange of
skills and knowledge where each of both countries could mutually benefit from the
exchange. The SDGs apply to all countries in that all countries are in development to
achieve sustainable societies and could learn from each other on the failures and
achievements in the process towards a sustainable future.
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CLOSING REMARKS: Dr. Bambang Hari Wibosono, Educational and Cultural
Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the
Netherlands
In his closing remarks, the Educational and Cultural Attaché Dr. Wibisono expressed his
appreciation to all who had put efforts in preparing and conducting the Indonesian-
Dutch Youth Dialogue for a Sustainable Future while mentioning Ms. Yanti Kusumanto
(Coordinator of event), Annisa Triyanti (CSDS), Board of INYS, Dutch Youth
Representatives, and Indonesian Diaspora Network Nederland. He also forwarded his
gratitude to all Speakers, Panellists, and Facilitators for their contributions to the event.
Mr. Wibisono recalled the time that Ms. Yanti —who together with him and Annisa
Triyanti (CSDS) were the dialogue’s initiators— in late summer 2016 proposed to the
Embassy to explore and develop a bilateral partnership concerning the SDGs between
Indonesia and the Netherlands. As the Attaché admitted, at the time he was not very
keen to think of a partnership between the two countries with such an ambitious agenda
as that of the SDGs. Nonetheless, the idea was born to bring together Dutch and
Indonesian youth for the sharing of ideas and experience in relation to the goals,
promote awareness, and identify opportunities to cooperate to achieving them.
Despite above early doubts whether bilateral partnership on the SDGs would be
realistic, in his closing remarks Mr. Wibisono conveyed to be very pleased with the
outcomes of the Youth Dialogue. This is the more so after having witnessed the many
inspiring ideas and recommendations that were revealed by participants and panellists
in the presentations and discussions.
The Attaché wholeheartedly hoped that the Youth Dialogue will see a concrete follow-up
and that it will not merely result in a written report for the bookshelves. Nonetheless, he
advised the group of attendees that follow-up action should not remain in the hands of
Ms. Yanti but be taken up by others as well. Mr. Wibisono believed that a good start is to
put in place a bilateral platform on youth issues in connection to sustainable
development. Such platform could be either informal or formal as long as it creates
space for the exchange of knowledge, experience, and views among Dutch and
Indonesian youth and other interested parties. Real action towards the SDGs could
subsequently be built on such a platform.
Mr. Wibisono finally expressed his appreciation to all participants and other attendees
for their presence and active participation in the Youth Dialogue.
25
ANNEXES
Annex A: Infomation flyer
26
FGD
1 Agnes Nurhasanah Indonesian Embassy 1
2 Ahmad Ibrahim Fahmi Indonesian Student Association Netherlands 3
3 Aldorio University of Twente 2
4 Andhika Rutten Indonesia Nederland Youth Society / Royal Tropical Institute
3
5 Ardiana Prima Indonesian Student Association Netherlands 2
6 Ayla Caglayan Hogeschool Utrecht 1
7 David Boers Leiden University 3
8 Dikky Indrawan Wageningen University & Research 2
9 Dwi Resty Ariesta Dewi University of Twente 1
10 11
Ebed Litaay (Observer) Eli Ratni
Indonesian Diaspora Network Nederland Wageningen University & Research
2
12 Emilius Sudirjo Wageningen University & Research 3
13 Erlinda Cahya Kartika Indonesian Student Association of Wageningen University & Research
3
14 15
Fahrizal Yusuf Affandi Ferlin Yoswara
Wageningen University & Research Frans Seda Foundation
3
16 Fitra Hayatun Nisa Indonesian Student Association of Wageningen University
3
17 Frenkchris Sinay Leiden University 3
18 Gendis Ayu Satiti Irawan Wageningen University & Research Alumni 1
19 Iris Bloemkolk Indonesia Nederland Youth Society 3
20 Iwan Kurniawan FrieslandCampina 2
21 22
Johan Maigret Jannemiek Evelo
Stichting Stem zonder Gezicht CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality
1 3
23 Justin Rijnberg DutchBasecamp 1
24 Kamia Handayani University of Twente 3
25 Kyana Dipananda Wageningen University & Research 2
26 Lisanne Zoet Studenten voor Morgen 2
27 Martijn Visser Dutch National Youth Council 3
28 Mila Indriastuti KAGAMA 1
29 Muchammad Gumilang Pramuwidyatama
Indonesian Student Association of Wageningen University
2
30 Muhammad Aldo Britano Kuncoro
University of Indonesia
1
31 Nika Engelen (declined) Dutch National Youth Council 1
32 Novia Fridayanti Frans Seda Foundation 2
33 Nurul Khansa Fauziyah Frans Seda Foundation 1
34 Pandu Supriyono Utrecht University 3
35 Petrisia Lumumba Indonesian Embassy, Economic Department 2
36 Priscilla Manurung Indonesian Student Association Netherlands 1
37 Reynold Rudyismanto Pasaribu
Frans Seda Foundation 3
38 Rosita Lo A Njoe Stichting Rockford-Fosgate 1
39 Rudy van der Aar Deen Travellers 2
Annex B: List of Attendees
27
40 Santo Koesoebjono (Observer)
Independent consultant 2
41 Sausan Nafisah Sumbawa University of Technology, Indonesia 3
42 Sefton Lo Nextra Technologies 3
43 Stanley Maximillian Indonesian Student Association Delft University
2
44 Suzanne van de Beek King's College London 1
45 Syarifah Nadhira Anggitasari
UNICEF Amsterdam
1
46 47
Thijs Struijk (declined) Titis Apdini
Groene Generatie Nederland Wageningen University & Research
2 2
48 Varja Dijksterhuis Hogeschool Utrecht 2
49 Wiwi Tjiook (Observer) Indonesian Diaspora Network TF Liveable Cities
1
50 Yati Kruyt Indonesia Nederland Youth Society 2
Facilitators, Pannelists, Resource Persons, and Speakers
51 Arend van Woerden Sweco Nederland 52 Marcel (M.J.M) Beukeboom Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment 53 Ciska Kuijper Oxfam Novib
54 Hansje Eppink Wageningen University & Research 55 Hugo G. von Meijenfeldt Ministry of Foreign Affairs 56 Reza Pamudji Indonesia Nederland Youth Society 57 Solita Sarwono NEDWORC Association 58 Suzanne Naafs Independent Researcher & Consultant
59 Vanessa Umboh Stichting Stem zonder Gezicht 60 Yohanes Sondang Kunto Wageningen University & Research
Indonesian Embassy (incl. Pannelist/Resource Persons/Speakers)
61 Andrei Marantek 62 Bambang Hari Wibisono 63 H.E. I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja
Organising Committee (incl. Facilitators/Pannelist/Speakers) 64 Annisa Triyanti Center for Sustainable Development Studies,
University of Amsterdam
65 Leon van Maaren Indonesian Diaspora Network TF Business Development
66 Mary Kachavos Dutch National Youth Council 67 Max van Deursen Dutch National Youth Council
68 Priscilla Rasyid Indonesia Nederland Youth Society
69 Sylvia Ledya Independent
70 Yanti Kusumanto TYK research & action consulting
Other
71 Joris Maas (Photographer)
28
Annex C: Focus group discussion questions, format, and tips for facilitators
Discussion questions subtheme SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere22
Possible discussion questions are listed below. In the focus group discussion, the group
might want to prioritise particular questions, or come up themselves with other ones.
SDG5 in connection to gender should be taken into account throughout.
a) Youth, global markets and entrepreneurship: the business leaders of tomorrow
1. What policies can enable an entrepreneurial ecosystem that is conducive for the
development of youth-led enterprises?
2. How can we develop the skills for tomorrow’s business leaders, from digital to
soft skills?
3. What actions are necessary at national level in both countries to address the lack
of competencies and skills to establish a new business?
4. What measures can governments of both countries and the private sector take to
enhance the quality of self-employment among youth at a time when the nature
of jobs is changing profoundly?
5. What policies are necessary for simplifying regulatory requirements (such as
business registration) and promoting entrepreneurship?
6. What kind of policies can enhance the access to affordable technology and
enable young people to create new products and services?
7. What is the best way to strengthen the partnerships among the Dutch and
Indonesian governments, the private sector, NGOs, and international
organizations?
8. What policies can we promote to increase access to finance for youth?
9. How can social entrepreneurship be promoted to contribute to sustainable
societies?
10. How can private enterprises help in creating decent employment and green
jobs?
11. How can linkages to global markets and investments be strengthened to
improve opportunities for young entrepreneurs?
b) Quality apprenticeships: work-based learning for the future of work
12. What measures can the Dutch and Indonesian governments, either
independently or in bilateral partnership, and the private sector take to identify
and deliver the skills youth need for the future?
13. What is the role of employers in improving learning and quality of jobs among
youth? What can the youth in Indonesia and the Netherlands learn from country
specific situations?
22 Discussion questions have been taken and adapted from the proceedings of the 6th Youth Forum of ECOSOC held in January 2017 in New York in order to align the discussion to the UN Annual Youth Forum of ECOSOC: ibid.
29
14. What can be done to support young people’s access to their first job?
15. What gender dimensions of the school-to-work transition need to be accounted
for? What measures should be taken by governments, private sector, and civil
society?
16. How can work-based learning improve outcomes of youth in rural areas?
Discussion questions subtheme SDG2: End hunger, achieve food security and
improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Discussion questions
Possible discussion questions are listed below. The group might want to prioritise
particular questions, or come up themselves with other ones. SDG5 in connection to
gender should be taken into account throughout.
1. What priority challenges do youth in the Netherlands and in Indonesia consider in
need of action to boost sustainable agriculture, in terms of ecosystem services (e.g.
minimising negative impacts of agricultural production on the environment)?
2. What could youth in this regard contribute to tackling those challenges? What
enabling conditions should then be put in place, how, and by whom?
3. What other challenges would be in need of action in terms of decent and green job
creation or enhancement of youth entrepreneurship in agriculture?
4. What could youth in this regard contribute to tackling these other challenges? What
enabling conditions should then be put in place, how, and by whom?
5. In what possible ways could according to the youth agroecosystems be protected and
what could they contribute to this issue, in what way? What enabling conditions
would be necessary?
6. While agroecosystems need to be protected, the agricultural sector should also meet
society’s food needs and provide sustainable and inclusive livelihoods for rural and
urban communities. How could we strike the balance and what possible roles would
the youth play in this?
7. What potential roles could young people play in bilateral efforts on above subjects?
8. In what way and what does it take to make this a reality (e.g. enabling conditions
necessary at policy level, education and training required, etc.)?
9. What emerging issues in hunger, food security, and nutrition are being considered in
need of action? How do they relate to youth?
10. What key elements should be incorporated in a youth engagement plan for
implementing the SDG2 (thus in connection to above subjects), both at country level
and bilateral partnership level?
30
Discussion questions subtheme SDG17: Strengthen the means of
implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable
development
Possible discussion questions are as below listed. In the focus group discussion, the
group might want to prioritise particular questions, or come up themselves with other
ones. SDG5 in connection to gender should be taken into account throughout.
1. Are you aware of the SDGs, making part of Agenda 2030?
2. How do you see the need of such effort in implementing the SDGs in your country?
What would be the benefits?
3. What do you think of the role of youth in the overall process of implementation,
monitoring, and evaluation of the SDGs in your country?
4. How do you engage with policymakers on issues related to the implementation,
monitoring, and review of the SDGs.
5. Do you know of existing ways in which young people are consulted in policy
formulation and programme delivery in connection to sustainable development in
your country; what their flaws are and possible improvements?
6. How could consultations with young people ensured that processes are gender-
balanced in terms of engagement (gender equal) and of outcomes (gender
equitable)?
7. As you are now living in the Netherlands, do you see any potential or benefits in
collaboration between youth in the two countries?
8. How do you envision the collaboration?
9. What are the topics that would be potential for initiating the collaboration? Please
share your thoughts based on your experience/ field of interest
10. Do you think youth in your country has a significant role to influence the political
process in multilateral events?
11. Do you think it is necessary; and what are your expectations?
12. What kind of platform would be necessary for youth representation in multilateral
events?
13. Please recommend three or four forms of collaboration that need to be prioritised.
14. What are the barriers that need to be overcome and what are potential benefits of
the recommended forms of collaboration?
FGD format
Facilitators are free to modify below suggested format as deemed necessary. Remember
that it is more important to facilitate an exchange of views, rather than the mere
answering of above questions:
The FGD of 60 minutes is preferably divided into:
1. Introduction (topics, Co-facilitators, and Participants) – 5’
2. Group discussion – 45’
3. Conclusions and pitch preparation – 10 minutes’. The group will be assigned to
present recommendations on actions at (some of) the following levels:
31
- organisation/institution
- government (national and sub-national)
- partnership
- multilateral
- any other as necessary
If the group is relatively small, there is no need to divide the group into smaller sub-
groups that each would discuss one of abovementioned two strategic topics. Again,
the questions listed above should not necessarily all be discussed and the group
might want to put priority on some of them.
Co-facilitators may decide beforehand on some role distribution (who leads what,
who makes notes, etc.).
A ‘Pool of resource persons’ will be available whom group members could consult
with in connection to particular issues. At the venue, the ‘Pool’ will sit in a separate
room that is easily accessible to all groups. If needed, the group will assign a group
member to consult with a resource person. Her/his feedback will be reported back to
the group and incorporated in the discussion. The group may consult with as many
as possible persons it wishes to do so, i.e. if the time is available and the resource
person sought is not being consulted at the same time by other groups.
Facilitation tips
As noted above, it is more important that facilitation encourages an exchange of views,
rather than the mere answering of questions. Use facilitation tools that trigger
participants in thinking and viewing things in new ways and where anything goes and no
views are bad or wrong. A strong tool is ‘Brainstorming’:
Brainstorming
One essential aspect of the brainstorming tool is that anything goes, that is the free listing of perspectives without any evaluation or censoring. Brainstorming is accompanied by facilitation techniques that effectively conclude the actual brainstorming session such as clustering and prioritising of alternative perspectives. The role of the Facilitator is to guide group processes to explore and synthesise alternative perspectives.
Adapted from: Braakman and Edwards, 2002: The art of building facilitation capacities. A
training manual, RECOFTC, Bangkok:
http://www.participatorymethods.org/resource/art-building-facilitation-capacities-training-
manual
Facilitation tips can be found as well at: Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning:
https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/sheridan-center/teaching-
learning/effective-classroom-practices/discussions-seminars/facilitating
Facilitating WIC Discussion Groups Guidelines, Concepts, and Techniques. 2011.
Washington State Department of Health:
https://wicworks.fns.usda.gov/wicworks/Sharing_Center/WA/Connect/Facilitatin
g.pdf
32
ANNEX D: POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS
Annex D.1
33
34
35
Annex D.2
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
Sustainability: a popular issue
Period Sustainability Concepts Driving Force
1960s - 1980s Environmental concern Silent spring
Limits to growth
1980s & 1990s Policy engagement in the Environmental,
Economic and Social Fields
Brundtland Report Rio Earth
Summit
1990s - nowadays
Explosion in meanings, perspectives &
applicability of sustainability across disciplines
and many facets of life and business
Pluralism, integrative
thinking,
holistic thinking
Sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the
present generation without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.
Annex D.3
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
Annex D.4
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
Annex D.5
60
61
62
63
64
65