RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Museums in Indonesia are being prepared to spark public action on global challenges through a program to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A collaboration between the United Nations and the Jakarta Provincial Administration aims to transform passive exhibition spaces into creative education hubs relevant to modern life.

The Mainstreaming SDGs in Museums program, developed with MUSEE ID, the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Regional Museums Association (AMIDA), and several partners, was launched at Jakarta City Hall on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. The initiative seeks to build museum capacity to integrate the SDGs into exhibitions, educational programs and community engagement activities.

Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Jakarta, Miklos Gaspar, said the program launch is an important step amid increasingly complex global challenges.

“Ten years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the world faces growing complexity. In such a context, museums have an increasingly important role,” he said, as quoted by Antara.

Gaspar noted that museums do more than preserve cultural heritage, they help the public understand global issues, foster dialogue and inspire collective action to protect people and the planet. Through Mainstreaming SDGs in Museums, Indonesian museums will be encouraged to explore ways of communicating global issues through the country’s rich cultural heritage and local wisdom.

During a series of workshops, UN agencies will share experience, expertise and best practices for translating the SDGs into concrete action across sectors. The program builds on the establishment of the first SDG Corner in an Indonesian museum, located at the Maritime Museum (Museum Bahari) in Jakarta.

Launched earlier this year through collaboration between the Jakarta Provincial Administration and the UN in Indonesia, the SDG Corner has become a pilot model. The facility successfully integrated sustainable development concepts into museum spaces and served as an effective tool for public education.

The new initiative aims to expand that approach to more museums in Jakarta and across Indonesia. Gaspar added that Indonesia’s museums hold stories of resilience, diversity, innovation and peaceful coexistence.

By linking those narratives to the SDGs, museums can make sustainable development concepts easier to understand, more relevant and more meaningful to the public.

Chairperson of AMIDA Jakarta, Yiyok T. Herlambang, welcomed the collaboration and reaffirmed Jakarta’s commitment to strengthening museums as public learning spaces.

“The SDG Corner at Museum Bahari has shown that museums can be spaces for people to learn about sustainable development and their role in realizing it. Through this initiative, we hope more museums in Jakarta will integrate the SDGs into their programs and become active partners in building a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable city.”

Executive director of MUSEE ID, Nofa Farida Lestari, reiterated the museum community’s commitment to supporting the sustainable development agenda.

“Connecting museum collections and narratives with the SDGs will help visitors see the real-world relevance of these values. Principles such as environmental stewardship, equality, mutual cooperation, resilience and peace have long been part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage,” she said.

Nofa hopes the partnership between the UN, Jakarta Provincial Administration and MUSEE ID will inspire more museums nationwide to adopt the SDGs as an integral part of their educational mission and public services. ***