In Short : The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Indonesia have jointly launched a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Baseline Report for the new capital city. This report serves as a foundational assessment, providing insights into the current state of key indicators related to sustainable development in the region.
In Detail : BANGKOK, THAILAND : The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Indonesia launched the Nusantara Sustainable Development Goals Voluntary Local Review Baseline today at the 11th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development. The report, which ADB helped to prepare, will contribute to efforts by the Nusantara Capital Authority (NCA) to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into all aspects of the city’s development.
The report highlights Nusantara’s contributions to the SDGs, including access to affordable housing and basic infrastructure services like water, transportation, and sanitation. It also notes areas where improvements on SDG implementation are needed, such as potential income inequality concerns arising from economic disparity between the new Nusantara population and existing communities.
The report lays the foundation for the development of a future Voluntary Local Review (VLR) on SDG implementation. The VLR will facilitate data-driven decision-making and serve as a benchmark in measuring progress against the SDGs, particularly for new and emerging cities where sustainable development practices are fundamental.
“Subnational governments, such as the NCA, play an important role in implementing the SDGs,” said ADB Country Director for Indonesia Jiro Tominaga. “ADB is pleased to partner with the NCA in this baseline report on the SDGs, exemplifying how local leadership and proactive measures can drive meaningful change on a global scale.”
“The baseline report and the subsequent Voluntary Local Review represent not only a step toward Indonesia’s ambitious goals of building a sustainable Nusantara, but a leap in our journey to integrate Nusantara into the global effort to achieve the SDGs outlined in the 2030 Agenda,” said NCA Chairman Bambang Susantono. “I thank ADB and our development partners for their role in realizing this effort further.”
The development of the Nusantara Sustainable Development Goals Voluntary Local Review Baseline was made possible with financial support from the Australian Government.
The NCA, established in March 2022, is a ministerial-level agency that reports directly to the Indonesian President. The authority is responsible for planning and constructing the new capital, overseeing the government’s transition to the new city, and eventually becoming its manager.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
