The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand and UGM has collaborated to strengthen sustainable economic development and open more livelihood opportunities for the community, especially in eastern Indonesia through the Community, Resilience, and Economic Development (CaRED) program.
After five years of running, this program has been able to generate various significant contributions to local communities, both in the fields of renewable energy, disaster mitigation, local community economic empowerment, and prevention of human rights crises and conflict resolution.
“I appreciate the entire team for their dedication and hard work in conducting research and building networks in the field,” said the New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia, H.E. Dr. Jonathan Austin, Thursday (13/2) at UGM.
During his visit to UGM, he was a speaker at the closing seminar for the CaRED program as well as a public lecture on the description of bilateral relations between Indonesia and New Zealand.
When opening the seminar, he mentioned the various achievements that have been made during the course of this program, including the installation of disaster early warning devices in three locations, peace building training for dozens of youth in Papua, and the establishment of institutions that support increasing the income of rural communities.
He stated that the grant is a form of the New Zealand government’s commitment and concern in the world of research and education, particularly for Indonesia’s national development.
“We want Indonesia to be a successful country and we want to help them achieve that,” he said.
Apart from the various achievements made, he also mentioned that there were many lessons from the ongoing cooperation process. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the completed program as input for planning in the future.
“Thank you for the partnership that has been built. I hope this legacy can be continued for years to come, “said Jonathan.
Grants from the New Zealand government through the CaRED program were given to 13 research teams to work on community development projects and research-based assistance in various locations in east Indonesia.
The purpose of CaRED itself is to contribute to sustainable development in Indonesia, including in the field of human resources and the capacity to face challenges in development.
To support this program, collaborations have been built with national and international partners including universities, local communities, local governments, NGOs, and the industrial sector.
“This program has had a huge impact on the community and the various components involved. This is a good example of how to build good cooperation between the government and universities, “said UGM Deputy Rector for Cooperation and Alumni Affairs, Prof. Dr. Paripurna, S.H., M.Hum., LL.M.
On this occasion, UGM also held an exhibition of grantees for the CaRED program which will present the results, outputs, and lessons learned from this community-based research to stakeholders, institutions and the general public.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/19021-kerja-sama-ugm-selandia-baru-dukung-pembangunan-indonesia-timur
