Report on Youth-Led Dialogue with Yogyakarta City Leadership on Sustainable Development and Climate Action

Executive Summary

On July 2, youth activists from the Asia Young People for Action (AYA) initiative engaged in a direct dialogue with Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo. The meeting, titled “Caring for the Earth Through Words and Action,” served as a formal platform for youth representatives to present urgent environmental concerns and advocate for inclusive policies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The dialogue highlighted the critical role of youth in holding public officials accountable and advancing community-based solutions to achieve local and global sustainability targets, particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Advocacy for Climate Action and Sustainable Urban Development

From Awareness Campaign to Policy Dialogue

The engagement evolved from AYA’s “Climate Reading” campaign, an initiative for World Environment Day where young people communicated environmental concerns to policymakers via postcards. This dialogue marked a significant progression from awareness-raising to direct policy influence, demonstrating a practical application of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by fostering collaboration between civil society and government.

Environmental Challenges Threatening SDG Targets

Youth delegates presented evidence-based concerns regarding environmental degradation in Yogyakarta, which directly impede progress on several SDGs. Key issues raised include:

• Extreme Weather Events: Unpredictable droughts and floods pose a direct threat to community resilience, challenging the objectives of SDG 13 (Climate Action).
• Declining Groundwater Quality: This issue compromises access to safe water, directly impacting SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).
• Loss of Green Spaces: Industrial and property development at the expense of green areas undermines urban sustainability, a core component of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Emphasis on Inclusive Action and Social Equity in Climate Policy

Disproportionate Impacts on Vulnerable Populations

A central theme of the discussion was the unequal burden of climate change, which disproportionately affects marginalized groups and hinders progress toward social equity goals. The delegates emphasized that effective climate policy must address these inequalities to achieve:

1. SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Vulnerable groups, including Indigenous peoples, small farmers, fishermen, and the urban poor, are most affected by environmental degradation yet often excluded from decision-making processes.
2. SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Women face a double burden, particularly when water scarcity increases their labor and crop failures threaten household food security, which also relates to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

A Call for Coordinated Partnerships under SDG 17

Rose Merry of the Justice and Peace Foundation of Indonesia (YKPI) acknowledged the existence of various youth-led environmental initiatives, such as cleanups and recycling campaigns. However, she noted a critical gap in coordination.

Recommendations for Strategic Alignment

To maximize impact and contribute effectively to the SDGs, the following strategic shifts were proposed:

• Unification of Efforts: Fragmented environmental movements must be consolidated under a shared vision for climate justice.
• Government-Civil Society Alignment: Youth-led actions must be strategically aligned with local government environmental programs to create synergistic outcomes.
• Fostering Collective Impact: The dialogue underscored the necessity of moving from scattered activities to coordinated, collective action, embodying the multi-stakeholder partnership model championed by SDG 17.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

1. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • The article’s central theme is the youth-led dialogue with the Yogyakarta Mayor about “urgent climate concerns.” It explicitly mentions “climate change,” “extreme weather events,” and the need for “effective environmental policies” to combat these issues.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • The issues discussed are specific to the urban environment of Yogyakarta. The article highlights challenges like the “loss of green spaces due to industrial and property development” and the need for youth to be involved in shaping the city’s future through “inclusive” policies and civic engagement.

3. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • The article directly points to problems with water resources, mentioning “declining groundwater quality” and how “clean water becomes scarce,” which directly relates to ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water.

4. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • The text specifies the disproportionate impact of environmental issues on women, noting that they “face a double burden when clean water becomes scarce and crop failures threaten household food security.” It also mentions that women are among the groups “often excluded from decision-making.”

5. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • A key point in the article is that environmental problems “disproportionately impact vulnerable groups—women, Indigenous peoples, small farmers, fishermen, and the urban poor.” The youth activists advocate for these groups who are “often excluded from decision-making,” aiming to reduce inequality in both impact and participation.

6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The article emphasizes the need for collaboration. It critiques existing environmental movements as “fragmented” and calls for them to “unite under a shared climate justice vision and align with local government efforts.” The dialogue itself is an example of a partnership between civil society (youth activists) and the public sector (city government).

Specific SDG Targets

1. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. This is relevant as youth delegates highlighted the threat of “extreme weather events” and “unpredictable droughts and floods.”
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into policies, strategies and planning. The youth’s demand for “inclusive, effective environmental policies” and their direct dialogue with the mayor is an effort to achieve this integration at the local level.
   • Target 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management… including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities. The article is a case study of this target in action, with youth activists representing marginalized groups to influence city leadership.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.3: Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management. The youth’s demand to “shape influence” and contribute “community-based solutions” directly addresses the need for participatory planning.
   • Target 11.7: Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces. The concern raised about the “loss of green spaces due to industrial and property development” makes this target highly relevant.

3. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • Target 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution. The mention of “declining groundwater quality” is a direct link to this target.
   • Target 6.b: Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management. The dialogue where youth raise concerns about water scarcity is a form of local community participation.

4. SDG 5: Gender Equality & SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 5.5 / 10.2: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership / empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all. The article’s focus on how vulnerable groups, including women, are “excluded from decision-making” directly connects to these targets for inclusive participation.

5. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The entire initiative, from the dialogue with the mayor to the call for fragmented movements to “unite” and “align with local government efforts,” embodies the spirit of this target.

Implied Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Frequency and impact of extreme weather events: The article mentions “unpredictable droughts and floods,” suggesting that tracking these events would be a measure of climate impact.
   • Adoption of new environmental policies: Progress can be measured by whether the city government adopts the “inclusive, effective environmental policies” demanded by the youth.
   • Level of youth participation in policy-making: The number of dialogues and the extent to which youth proposals are incorporated into city plans serve as an indicator.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Change in the area of green spaces: The “loss of green spaces” can be tracked quantitatively as an indicator of sustainable urban development.
   • Number of participatory planning processes: The dialogue with the mayor is one such event; tracking the frequency and inclusivity of these meetings would be an indicator.

3. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • Groundwater quality measurements: The concern over “declining groundwater quality” implies that regular testing of groundwater would be a key indicator.
   • Reports of water scarcity among vulnerable households: Tracking the number of households, particularly among the urban poor, facing a lack of “clean water” would measure progress.

4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Representation of vulnerable groups in decision-making bodies: An indicator would be the percentage of women, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups participating in environmental planning, moving them from being “excluded from decision-making.”

5. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Number of coordinated, cross-sector initiatives: Progress can be measured by tracking the shift from “fragmented” movements to unified actions aligned with government efforts.

Summary Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: afsc.org