Jakarta, 22 September 2016 – Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) welcomes the strong support that has been shown by the Government of Indonesia (GoI) in driving the country’s green agenda to achieve its goal of socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic growth.

Indonesia’s target of achieving 19% of its total energy mix from renewable sources by 2019 has stimulated efforts to attract investment in this area and invite partnerships to help develop the sector. To support this, GGGI will continue to work closely with the GoI to focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and projects through the GOI–GGGI Green Growth Program that was officially launched in 2013.

GGGI Country Representative in Indonesia Anna van Paddenburg, who will be sharing her views on achievable renewable energy initiatives at the World Renewable Energy Congress 2016, commended Indonesia as being a testament to the feasibility of implementing green developmental models under the GOI–GGGI Green Growth Program. She said that the program which includes mainstreaming green growth into economic and development planning, green technology transfer and driving green capital investment, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) was possible because of Indonesia Government’s strong commitment and focus to drive and implement its sustainability program as a national agenda.

“When countries like Indonesia readily demonstrate their commitment to sustainability through their strong actions of placing green growth at the heart of the national, provincial and district level agenda, and promoting laws and regulations to advance the development of green industries, we can clearly see their pledge to build a people-centered economy to enable sustained prosperity to all their citizens,” said van Paddenburg.

“Together with the Indonesia Government, we will be concentrating on accelerating infrastructure developments in Indonesia to achieve its renewable energy ambitions. One of our main focus in the next phase of the joint Green Growth Program is to increase the percentage of new and renewable energy in the country’s energy mix through projects that will support the Government’s targets on universal electrification goals for improving access to electricity in the most remote areas of Indonesia. As innovation and competition globally increases, cost will become a more manageable variable in the renewable energy equation,” added van Paddenburg.

The first phase of Green Growth Program (GGP) which was successfully implemented from 2013 to 2015 focused on green growth development planning, introducing tools and methods for economic analysis and investment decision making, and building local capacity for reducing GHG emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) within a green growth framework. The second phase covers renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives, green infrastructure projects within special economic zones, and financing REDD+ initiatives related to forest-and-land based mitigation projects with an investment of US$18.5 million in the form of technical expertise for the government and other stakeholders in Indonesia, fully funded by the government of Norway.

“I am excited to share with the world how Indonesia’s strong resolve has enabled the country to lay down development initiatives towards achieving its green objectives at the World Renewable Energy Congress 2016,” said GGGI Principal Green Finance Specialist, Investment and Policy Solutions Division, Suki Atwal. “When other countries place focus on social inclusion as a priority, they will be able to have a broader impact on their population and their country, and help contribute towards building a sustainable economy and community for all.”

The 15th World Renewable Energy Congress will take place at the Jakarta Convention Center on 19-23 September alongside the 5th Indonesia Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Summit 2016. GGGI spokespersons Anna van Paddenburg (GGGI Indonesia Country Representative), Suki Atwal (GGGI Principal Green Finance Specialist, Investment and Policy Solutions Division), and Marlon Ivanhoe Aipassa (East Kalimantan Governor’s Expert Staff on Natural Resources and Environment) will share their views at this biennial international event.