ASIATODAY.ID, BALIKPAPAN – The United Nations (UN) fully supports the Indonesian Archipelago Capital (IKN) development project.
This was stated by the UN through the submission of a Declaration of Intent for cooperation between the UN and the IKN Authority in realizing the sustainable development agenda in IKN.
The handover was made by the UN Permanent Coordinator for Indonesia, Valerie Julliand, to the Head of the IKN Authority, Bambang Susantono, at the opening of the 6th Spatial Planning Platform (SPP) Conference which was held in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday, November 7 2023.
The scope of this collaboration includes, among other things, urban planning and development, including Voluntary Local Reviews (VLR); Support for governance mechanisms and policies; Digitization support; Master Plan Development; and analysis of various potential gaps that exist.
“Collaboration with OIKN and various entities is very important for the archipelago and also for the UN. Through this collaboration we can ensure that all good principles, values, norms and standards can be realized,” said Valerie, quoted Thursday, November 30 2023.
On this occasion, the Head of the IKN Authority, Bambang Susantono, said that building a new city requires support from many parties, including from international organizations. The Head of the IKN Authority emphasized that the Nusantara vision is in line with the principles of the New Urban Agenda, which were adopted at the UN-Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador in 2016.
The Head of the IKN Authority said that there were at least three Indonesian participations in the global campaign. First, Nusantara wants to join the global agenda in preserving biodiversity, by rejuvenating the rich flora and fauna of Kalimantan.
“We are collaborating with several organizations to develop the Nusantara Nature Positive Plan which will guide us in creating a sustainable forest city,” said Bambang.
Second, the development of the archipelago will be in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently, Nusantara is preparing a Voluntary Local Review (VLR) and will track the progress of SDGs in the city.
Third, the archipelago will play an active role in the global campaign on the issue of climate change.
To make this happen, the Head of the IKN Authority revealed that he had received strong support from national and international institutions, including several UN agencies. In this case, he expressed his appreciation to the 13 UN agencies which have expressed support for the development of the archipelago.
The 13 institutions in question include: ESCAP, FAO, ILO, IOM, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN Habitat, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNOPS, and UN Women.
“These institutions view the archipelago as a “living laboratory” that gives them the opportunity to produce new knowledge in overcoming global challenges,” said the Head of the IKN Authority.
For information, several collaborations that have been taking place with UN institutions so far include with UNESCAP to prepare a Voluntary Local Review for SDGs at IKN; UNDP for green policy planning that involves the community; UNEP for support in preparing Locally-Determined Contribution for achieving the carbon neutral IKN target by 2045; and UNICEF for the development of IKN as a child-friendly city.
The 6th Spatial Planning Platform (SPP) Conference is the first international conference organized by the IKN Authority with the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat); Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan; Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency; and the Indonesian Planning Experts Association. (AT Network)
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