The Head of LLDIKTI Region IV Inaugurates UNIDA SDGs Center, Emphasizes the Importance of Higher Education in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

The Head of LLDIKTI Region IV West Java-Banten, Dr. M. Samsuri, S.Pd., M.T., IPU, attended the SDGs Talk event organized by Universitas Djuanda (UNIDA) on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at the Auditorium of Building C, UNIDA Campus. During this occasion, Dr. M. Samsuri, S.Pd., M.T., IPU also symbolically inaugurated the newly launched UNIDA SDGs Center.

In his speech, Dr. M. Samsuri, S.Pd., M.T., IPU discussed the role of higher education in sustainable development. According to him, universities as centers of excellence assist both the central and local governments in the preparation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of the SDGs Action Plan in Indonesia.

“Universities are not just filling a role but actively participating in society. In practice, many universities may already be making partial efforts to contribute to addressing and solving concerns related to sustainable development goals,” he said.

Dr. M. Samsuri, S.Pd., M.T., IPU explained that universities play a role in producing high-quality human resources and serve as core institutions of quality education. There are at least two key areas of focus for universities: improving graduate quality and boosting institutional productivity.

“If we focus on producing quality graduates, this becomes crucial, as universities serve as the crucible for molding such talent. Secondly, productivity. How every innovation result can be transformed into academic papers that are widely published and beneficial. In this way, universities become more productive as part of civilization building,” he explained.

At the end of his speech, Dr. M. Samsuri, S.Pd., M.T., IPU officially inaugurated the UNIDA SDGs Center symbolically.

“Congratulations on the inauguration of the UNIDA SDGs Center. May UNIDA continue to be a university that serves the community with faith and becomes increasingly prominent,” he said.

The SDGs Talk event also featured several speakers, including UNIDA Chancellor Prof. Dr. H. Martin Roestamy, S.H., M.H., who gave a prologue on "SDGs in the Perspective of Universitas Djuanda's Pancadarma." Other speakers included the Coordinator of the Expert Team of the National Secretariat of SDGs BAPPENAS, Yanuar Nugroho, Ph.D., who discussed "An Overview of SDGs Implementation at Universities and the SDGs Roadmap for Indonesia."

Meanwhile, the Director of the SDGs Center at Universitas Padjadjaran, Prof. Dr. Zuzy Anna, M.Si, presented "Best Practices in Higher Education SDGs Program Implementation." The Rector of Universitas Yarsi, Prof. Dr. H. Fasli Jalal, Ph.D., discussed "Integrating 5 SDGs into Improving the Quality of Higher Education Human Resources." The event was moderated by UNIDA Graduate School lecturer, Dr. Bambang Widjojanto, S.H., M.H.

The Chair of the UNIDA SDGs Talk organizing committee, Prof. Dr. Ir. Dede Kardaya, M.Si, stated that SDGs are an integral part of the 2030 sustainable development agenda, encompassing 17 goals and 169 interconnected targets. In Indonesia, SDGs have become a national development agenda through Presidential Regulation No. 111 of 2022.

To achieve the SDGs targets at the national and global levels, Prof. Dr. Ir. Dede Kardaya, M.Si said that in July 2024, the UNIDA High Council (MTU) established five SDGs priorities most relevant and achievable by 2030, namely No Poverty, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, and Partnerships for the Goals.

“Today, we will learn together with the aim of better understanding the SDGs, their interconnections, and the roadmap for sustainable development goals in Indonesia. More than that, we hope this event inspires us in terms of best practice management and commitment to achieving the 5 SDGs priorities aligned with UNIDA's Pancadarma activities,” he concluded.