Bali, Indonesia, November 7th, 2018 –  United Nations for Development Programme (UNDP) and the Indonesian government  through the Creative Economy Agency (BEKRAF), on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support Youth:Co Lab Indonesia, a platform for innovation and training for youth-led social entrepreneurship  and start-ups.

Co-led by UNDP and Citi Foundation, Youth Co: Lab is an AsiaPacific Youth Entrepreneurship initiative that aims to put youth at the forefront of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Encouraging social innovation and entrepreneurship in Indonesia, Youth Co: Lab targets young people from the eastern part of the country.

The MOU was signed in Bali at the first World Conference on Creative Economy, hosted by the BEKRAF.  More than 1000 delegates from 50 countries have gathered to attend the Conference which aims to highlight the current state and vision of the global creative economy industry.

“We are very pleased to be in partnership with UNDP to support the Youth Co: Lab initiative in Indonesia. With its emphasis on youth empowerment, we hope Youth Co: Lab will facilitate the development of an ecosystem that supports the creativity and entrepreneurial talent of young adults in Indonesia. This will strengthen their competitiveness and the competiveness of Indonesia as a whole, said Head of BEKRAF, Mr Triawan Munaf.

UNDP Indonesia Country Director, Mr. Christophe Bahuet said Youth Co: Lab also aims to tap in to the massive potential of Indonesia’s young population in digital technology,

“Digital technologies and youth are inseparable allies. With innovative ideas and creative minds, young adults have the potential use digital technology as a means to build on their ideas and in turn,  achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  With over 63 million youth in Indonesia, there is significant opportunity to further innovative and create in the emerging economy, said Bahuet.

In Indonesia, Youth Co: Lab is led by UNDP Indonesia’s Innovative Financing Lab, in partnership with Citi Foundation and co-working space provider, HUBUD. In its first initiative, 15 select participants from Papua and Kalimantan are attending a two-week bootcamp on policy recommendation, start-ups and business management from November 1^st until November 14^th.

“We are excited to bring together such a diverse group of participants and facilitate capacity-building to help extend the outreach of social enterprises outside of Java to a global audience, “ said Maria Agustin Triwahyuni, Hubud’ s Head of Partnership.

Media contacts
UNDP Indonesia’s Innovative Financing Lad, Mohamad Ikhsan Modjo, mohamad.modjo@undp.org
UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, Tomi Soetjipto
suryo.tomi@undp.org