For millions of villagers in Indonesia’s remote areas, a 12-hour-per-day erratic electricity supply is the norm. With students studying by candlelight at night and health centres not running at full capacity, these communities face an uphill struggle to improve their well-being.  But a recently launched UN-backed initiative from the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) could change that, thanks to a group of Indonesians dubbed “energy patriots”, who have been tasked with boosting the use of clean energy resources, with the goal of improving access to healthcare, education and economic development in rural villages.   29-year-old environmentalist Ristifah is one of 23 energy patriots recruited by MEMR as part of the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) ACCESS clean energy project. The four-year initiative aims to instal solar panels in some of the remotest islands of Indonesia.  Growing up in a rural village, Ristifah experienced coping with a limited electricity supply first-hand; “We only had three hours of electricity a day”. With limitations on when they could charge their phones and access the internet, Ristifah and her peers felt cut off from developments across the rest of Indonesia. Now, Ristifah and her colleagues will be spending a year living in their assigned villages to prepare the infrastructure for solar energy generation.  Their tasks include helping the community to determine electricity tariffs, liaising with contractors, recruiting operators and technicians, and helping the local renewable energy service providers to manage new power plants. United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7   SDG7: Clean and Affordable Energy Sustainable Development Goal 7 calls for access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Progress on this Goal is being made, with encouraging signs that energy is becoming more sustainable and widely available.  However, 789 million people – predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa – are living without access to electricity, and hundreds of millions more only have access to very limited or unreliable electricity. It is estimated that only 28 per cent of health facilities have access to reliable electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, yet energy is critically needed to keep people connected at home and to run life-saving equipment in hospitals. An urgent need for clean energy Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, urgently needs clean energy capacity: the blistering pace of economic development over the past decade has lifted millions out of poverty, but it has also dramatically increased the demand for energy.  The government has pledged to phase out all coal-fired power stations by 2055, but some 30 million people out of the country’s population or around 267 million do not have adequate access to electricity.  Ristafah and her colleagues will oversee the installation of 1.2 MW off-grid solar- power plants, which will provide electricity for around 20,000 people in remote villages; although that is only a fraction of Indonesia’s total unmet needs, the programme serves as a blueprint for rural development that goes beyond basic socio-economic support. Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) Some 126 homes in Bangko village in South Sulawesi, Indonesia will benefit from solar powered electricity. ‘I dream of the day when the houses sparkle with lights’ Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago nation, with 17,000 islands sprawled across three different time zones, many of which are out of reach of the national electricity grid. Ristifah will be assigned to a coastal fishing village of Muna, in southeastern Sulawesi Province. Like most island villages, Muna is heavily dependent on fuel-fired generators for its electricity. Such generators are often inadequate for communities’ needs, and the toxic fumes they spew that can harm the environment and cause health issues including respiratory illnesses and cancer.  A more consistent rural electricity supply could open opportunities for greater economic development and help people in remote villages like Muna to lead healthier lives. Ristifah bears the heavy responsibility of ensuring the success of the project, but it’s one she’s keen to embrace: she will move 1,500 km away from her home on Indonesia’s most populous island of Java, to take up her post as Muna’s energy facilitator. But she says that the chance to make a difference in the lives of her compatriots makes that sacrifice worthwhile. “I hope to inspire more girls to achieve higher education,” she said. “I dream of the day when the houses sparkle with lights that the community installed, and children can have a better future.”  Those sparkling lights will help to lessen inequalities between Indonesians across the country according to the UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia Valerie Julliand  © UNESCO/Togean Togo Una-Una Biosphere Reserve – Indonesia There are some 17,000 islands in Indonesia, some of which lack reliable power sources “The difference in the pace of development between urban and rural areas has often been stark, in large part due to discrepancies in access to power,” said Ms. Julliand says, adding that the work undertaken by the energy patriots will “ensure communities have a say in how important infrastructure projects that affect their lives are developed. They can go a long way towards addressing urban-rural inequality.”  Promoting the adoption of sustainable energy sources is a key component of the UN-backed Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy aims to accelerate access to electricity in poorer countries whilst improving energy efficiency and renewable sources of power. Verania Andria, Senior Advisor for UNDP’s Sustainable Energy Strategic Programme in Indonesia, said that the project drives home the “importance of our principle of leaving no behind as Indonesia makes great strides towards economic development,” adding that the “energy patriots show us that we can implement inclusive and sustainable rural energy development projects that could be replicated in rural communities around the world." 
  ACCESS to energy UNDP’s four-year Accelerating Clean Energy to Reduce Inequality (ACCESS) Project, which receives financial support from the Korean International Cooperation Agency, has supported 23 young people in joining the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia’s clean energy programme.  They are among 100 the Ministry is helping to train in partnership with a local NGO. Each will be deployed for 12 months at a time in villages across the breadth of the archipelago.   This article originally appeared on UN News, on 29 August 2021

The United Nations in Indonesia has relaunched its COVID-19 microsite as the go-to hub for the latest UN interventions, public health tips, and developments related to the pandemic. First introduced in the early days of the crisis, the site’s relaunch on Aug. 27 responds to the surge in COVID-19 infections in Indonesia, which surpassed 4-million officially recorded cases last month. The UN in Indonesia’s COVID-19 microsite serves as a repository of up-to-date information on the UN's global, national, and community-level responses to the pandemic. It will be updated regularly as the situation on the ground evolves. “The UN is working hard to support every aspect of Indonesia’s COVID-19 response, from fighting misinformation, to helping the government with the complex logistics of vaccine distribution, to protecting some of society’s most vulnerable people from the pandemic’s economic fallout,” UN Resident Coordinator for Indonesia Valerie Julliand writes in an introduction to the site, “my colleagues and I stand in solidarity with every one of you who is struggling because of COVID-19.” The microsite contains four main sections: weekly global and national COVID-19 situation reports from the World Health Organization (WHO); resources for the media, including press statements and updates on joint UN programs; information on COVID-19 humanitarian and policy responses in Indonesia; and public health tips and COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Indonesia has overcome many crises in the past, from economic shocks to natural disasters, to man-made conflicts. As the COVID-19 crisis tests the country in novel ways, the UN remains committed to strengthening the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation) with the people and the government of Indonesia to recover better – while leaving no one behind. To access the microsite, head to the top banner of our homepage or click here.

The future of the world depends on good food. Good food keeps us healthy, protects our planet, and boosts our economies. So, to commemorate International Youth Day on August 12, nine UN agencies in Indonesia joined forces in a series of three events to highlight the role of young people in restoring the planet, protecting life, and transforming our food systems. In line with this year’s International Youth Day theme, “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”,  Indonesian youth leaders, sustainability experts, and activists led discussions on food security, sustainability, and why young people are at the heart of improving food systems: from production, to processing, to transportation, to the consumption of food. Those conversations couldn’t be more urgent. After decades of progress in tackling hunger, the world has in recent years gone backwards on food security. The pandemic has dramatically exacerbated that trend, exposing the fragility of our food systems and threatening the nutrition of millions of people around the world. A UN multi-agency report estimates that a tenth of the global population – up to 811 million people – experienced hunger in 2020. That number could rise even further in 2021. As with COVID-19, it is society's most vulnerable who are most likely to bear the brunt. “Our food system in Indonesia and globally is broken. We need to fix it,” said Valerie Julliand, UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, in remarks she delivered at the opening of a UN in Indonesia virtual talk show on August 14, “Young people must get involved in transforming the food systems, as you are the ones who will live with the consequences of the actions we take today.” Indeed, Indonesian adolescents already face the triple burden of malnutrition. According to UNICEF, approximately one in four is stunted, 9 per cent have low body mass index, and 16 per cent are overweight or obese. In addition, one-fourth of adolescent girls suffer from anaemia. When young people's nutrition is not fulfilled, it impacts the well-being of current and future generations. At the same time, according to UNEP’s Food Waste Index 2021, Indonesian households generate 77 kg of food waste per capita per year. Food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, burdens waste management systems, and exacerbates food insecurity. With the world’s population expected to reach 9 billion people in the next 30 years, food systems need urgent reform to be sustainable, nurture people and the planet. The UN in Indonesia’s International Youth Day commemoration events showed how young people can lead these reforms. During a panel discussion in the Aug 14 talk show, Dea Fairuz Puspa, a member of UNICEF’s Mitra Muda youth network, encouraged young people to explore local foods and ensure that their plate has diverse, nutritious ingredients. Vinny Nurizky from UNDP’s Global Marine Commodities project, which mainstreams sustainability into seafood supply chains and rebuilds fish stocks  and livelihoods, spoke about the importance of protecting marine biodiversity and seafood as a rich source of protein. Repa Kustipia from Gastro Tourism Academy, a group that provides eco-tourism and gastronomy courses, mentioned that Indonesia’s biodiversity is a rich resource through which young people’s innovation can define the future of food systems. Both Dwi Arif Fiandita from Garda Pangan and Muhammad Agung Saputra from Surplus.id, two leading food banks, emphasized that young people can contribute to reducing food waste by re-using what we can’t finish. Other panelists looked at food from the perspective of its ability to bring good memories and nourish our well-being. For Rere Al Anshor at PETRASU (North Sumatran Transwomen Association), community farming became a source of healing during the pandemic. “Farming is not only a means for transwomen to survive during the pandemic and in the future, it’s become a coping mechanism for our mental health,” Rere said. Meanwhile Shazia, an Afghan refugee, cooked her favourite traditional Afghan food, ashrak and bosragh, while explaining how it brings back fond memories of family gatherings and special occasions such as Eid. Rayhan Noor, a singer and songwriter, performed a couple of songs raising awareness of taking care of mental health. And Seto Nurseto, a finalist from Masterchef Indonesia, performed a live cooking demo and invited young people to reflect on and appreciate the origin of each ingredient he used. The series of International Youth Day events was closed by the UNESCO-hosted virtual fashion market “Wastra Nusantara” on Aug. 18. At the market, young Indonesian designers showcased their work in sustainable fashion through eco-friendly textiles, ancestral crafts preservation, and community empowerment. With less than ten years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, this year’s International Youth Day events emphasised the  need for collaboration to improve food systems and showed how young people everywhere are driving ambitious efforts towards a world that leaves no one behind. That means a world where good food is affordable and accessible, where all members of society work together to provide it, and where farmers and fisherfolk produce food in a way that protects the planet. “Young people are at the core of development,” said Jarot Indarto, Ministry of National Development Planning’s Policy Analyst, in his closing remarks on Aug. 14,  “They are our future leaders and have the power to start good transformation: from small things, from now, and from ourselves.”

  Does the fact we have only explored 5% of the ocean scare you? Have you faced any difficulties in your workplace because of your gender? And do you think the pandemic will end soon? Those are just three of the questions UN Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand fielded over a series of interviews with 10 Indonesian children and teenagers ahead of National Children’s Day, or Hari Anak Nasional, this week. Published on social media on July 22, 23, and 24, the series offers young Indonesians the chance to find out more about the UN from its highest official in the country. “One of the things that struck me most was how unafraid these young people were to speak their minds,” says Julliand, “they asked intelligent, perceptive questions that got to the heart of what the UN does.” The array of videos features children and teenagers aged between 7 and 17 posing questions on topics that range from their hobbies and school lives to domestic workers’ human rights, to how the UN is supporting Indonesia’s COVID-19 response. Six of the participants were selected from the UNICEF-supported Mitra Muda youth network and the U-Report mobile engagement platform, which enable young people around Indonesia to speak out on issues that matter to them. The selected young people previously participated in capacity building trainings on 21st century life-skills and are leading initiatives and creating content that promote children’s rights in their respective communities. The conversations with Julliand take some unexpected turns. An aspiring herpetologist’s introduction of his pet gecko leads to a discussion of the relationship between humans and animals. And after 15-year-old Alexis asks about gender-based violence, the pair reflect on our shared responsibility to act in the face of human rights violations. That all the interviews are conducted remotely—by young people in Aceh, Sulawesi, Manado, and elsewhere—reflects the disruption the pandemic has imposed on the lives of Indonesian children and teenagers across the country. Many have been out of school for more than a year. “This pandemic is hard on everybody, but it’s even harder for people your age,'' Julliand says in response to 10-year-old Raesha’s question about when it might end, “you, really, are the heroes of the pandemic.”