Read Young Indonesians’ Recommendations to the Government on Ocean Action

On June 21, youth delegates representing 11 Indonesian and international ocean-focused civil society organizations sent 10 recommendations to the Government of Indonesia on ocean ecosystem restoration. Their recommendations spanned from mapping Indonesia’s waste management facilities, to hastening the country’s transition from plastic packaging to more recyclable materials, to prioritizing local indigenous wisdom in decision-making.

The young people formulated their recommendations following a discussion on SDG14, Life Below Water, with UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia Valerie Julliand and Portugal’s Ambassador to Indonesia Maria João Lopes-Cardoso, in the run-up to the UN Ocean Conference 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal, which began on June 17.

“As both the world’s largest archipelagic nation and the current G20 President, Indonesia is exceptionally well-placed to lead on the Blue Economy,” said Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand. “The considered, passionate recommendations advanced by the young delegates today exemplify Indonesian youth’s readiness to mobilize to protect the world’s oceans.”  

The UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the governments of Portugal and Kenya, seeks to propel innovative solutions to protect the world’s marine environment and start a new chapter of global ocean action. It comes after the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare deep-rooted problems in societies, which require structural transformations anchored in the SDGs to remedy.

The UN in Indonesia, alongside co-organizers the United Nations Association Indonesia (UNAI), helped the young activists present their recommendations on SDG 14 to Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) and the Coordinating Ministry of Investment and Maritime Affairs.

“The health of our country depends on the health of our oceans, so young people in Indonesia have an enormous stake in SDG14,” said Muthia Fadhila Khairunnisa, Under Secretary-General for Program Development at UNAI. “The recommendations we put forward are robust because they were crafted by young people, based on what they see and experience in their communities.”

To view the full list of recommendations, click the link below.