Group photo of workshop participants, including regional officials from East Kalimantan province and East Kutai district. Photo: USAID SEGAR

In support of jurisdictional approaches to sustainable development at the local level, USAID collaborates with Bappenas through the Sustainable Environmental Governance Across Regions (SEGAR) project. In East Kutai District, USAID SEGAR assists the local government in leveraging and developing various instruments to promote sustainable development, encompassing environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, land governance, and green investment. This support is delivered through diverse training programs for regional officials at both the district and East Kalimantan provincial levels.

One key instrument in the sustainable development approach is the Sustainable Jurisdictional Indicators (SJI), which employs a landscape approach using administrative boundaries (jurisdictions), particularly at the subnational level, to measure stakeholder performance. The SJI comprises 23 indicators selected and structured in accordance with national regulations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It aims to guide local governments in implementing sustainable development principles for sustainable plantation commodity production.

The IYB approach is currently being implemented by Bappenas, as mandated in the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan for the plantation sector. First introduced at the B20 Investment Forum in Bali in November 2022, the IYB launch was followed by the signing of support from several parties, including eight districts, with East Kutai District selected as a pilot for IYB implementation.

On September 18, 2024, the East Kalimantan Provincial Government, together with the East Kutai District Government through the East Kutai District Multi-stakeholder Forum for Sustainable Development (FORMIKA), held a "Subnational Workshop on Sustainable Jurisdictional Indicators (IYB) Assessment in East Kalimantan Province" in Balikpapan. The workshop aimed to disseminate the Draft National Guidelines for Sustainable Jurisdictional Indicators (SJI) version IV, currently being developed by the Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), which will be incorporated into the 2025-2029 RPJMN Technocratic Draft. The workshop also featured the soft launch of the East Kutai District Sustainability Report for 2024. East Kutai District is the first to complete and launch its 2024 Sustainability Report, fulfilling its commitment to the Sustainable Jurisdictional Approach.

Gatut Wahyu Purboyo, Head of the Economy and Natural Resources Division at the East Kalimantan Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), noted that this workshop builds on a previous event held on September 1, 2023, which introduced the SJI platform, its indicators, and data collection and verification methods to all stakeholders in East Kalimantan Province.

During the workshop, Ms. Puspitra Suryaningtyas from the Directorate of Food and Agriculture at the Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) and Ms. Amelia Majid from PT Surveyor Indonesia presented the draft IYB Guidelines Version IV. They provided an overview of the IYB platform, its indicators, and the status of IYB data fulfillment from each district/city government in East Kalimantan Province.

Representing the East Kutai District Government, Ripto Widargo, Head of the Economy and Natural Resources Division at the East Kutai Bappeda, presented a brief overview of the East Kutai District Sustainability Report for 2024 and shared lessons learned from its development process.

"We are grateful to our strategic development partners, especially USAID SEGAR, for providing technical support and expertise throughout the preparation of this Sustainability Report. We are proud to be the first district in Indonesia to successfully complete and launch a Sustainability Report as a commitment to fulfilling the SJI.” Ripto added.

Moving forward, the SJI indicators are expected to support district government governance activities, ensuring that products from the plantation sector in their area meet land legality aspects and sustainability principles. By referring to the SJI framework, district governments are anticipated to create an investment and trade climate in the plantation sector that aligns with sustainability principles.