ANGIN to Advocate Seed Stages’ Climate Solutions and Innovation at COP28 in Dubai, Fostering Sustainability Action and Collaboration

Saskia Tjokro, ANGIN’s Advisory Director, with fellow CSO and Climate Advocates in front of Indonesia Pavilion

December 20th, 2023

Press Release: ANGIN to Advocate Seed Stages' Climate Solutions and Innovation at COP28 in Dubai

ANGIN, a prominent advisory platform catalyzing impactful climate actions, actively engaged at The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai which was implemented on 30th of November until 12th of December 2023. This two-week-long conference serves as a platform where global leaders, major businesses, and philanthropists strategize climate change and implement those strategies in the field.

COP28 is a platform dedicated to advocating climate financing, aiming to navigate and resolve the complex intersection of risks and opportunities. As ANGIN shares a parallel focus, we have actively participated in this conference. In our steadfast commitment to impactful climate actions, ANGIN underscored the paramount importance of collaborative efforts created in this event, among governments, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and the intricate relationships within off-taking, sub-vendoring, and regulatory support structures.

Brought to this prestigious occasion by esteemed partners, the Environmental Bamboo Foundation (EBF), and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, ANGIN proudly represented the UNFCCC Indonesia Pavilion. This recognition signifies ANGIN’s pivotal role as a pioneer advocating entrepreneurship as a solution to mitigate climate change in Indonesia. Saskia Tjokro, ANGIN’s Advisory Director, was invited as an investment and business expert to identify additional funding opportunities to support the successful implementation of the Indonesia’s FOLU Net Sink 2030 program in East Nusa Tenggara, part of Indonesia’s Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emission in the forestry and land use sector.

Having an impactful week in Dubai, Saskia was deeply engaged in the Blue Zone, the heart of the conference, participating in vibrant discussions spanning various thematic areas such as climate tech and circular economy. Her involvement extended to insightful forums and meetings, including the Community Empowerment for the National Energy Transition by Pertamina, Integrated Sustainable Bamboo Management for Climate Resilience by BSI-KLHK, and Voices of the Forest: Amplifying Local Knowledge in Climate Change Adaptation. Interaction was also established with key figures, including Indonesia’s Minister of Environment, the Climate and Land Use Alliance, and the Subnational Climate Fund, nurturing promising discussions for potential collaborations and funding support.

“Thank you to our valued partners for involving us, it is highly aligned with our commitment to supporting entrepreneurship as a climate mitigation solution in Indonesia. We are proud pioneers, spotlighting Indonesia’s innovative initiatives, focusing on sustainability and green entrepreneurship. We are deeply grateful and excited to be part of this opportunity!” said Saskia Tjokro, ANGIN’s Advisory Director.

Left to right, Uun Unaya and Monica Tanuhandaru of the Environmental Bamboo Foundation (EBF); Zac Goldsmith, former Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate, and Environment in England; and Saskia Tjokro, ANGIN’s Advisory Director, pictured in front of Spedagi, one of impact driven enterprise producing bamboo bikes from Indonesia

As an advocate for Indonesian entrepreneurs since 2016, ANGIN feels privileged to have been brought to this prestigious gathering by our partners, offering us the opportunity to connect with esteemed climate change leaders. This experience further solidified our commitment to making a positive impact on our world. We had the honor of engaging with prominent figures such as Shinta Kamdani, Chairman of Asosiasi Pengusaha Indonesia (Apindo); Monica Tanuhandaru, Director of Environmental Bamboo Foundation (EBF); Siti Nurbaya, Indonesia’s Minister of Environment; and Zac Goldsmith, former Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate, and Environment in England. The discussions focused on the pivotal role of social entrepreneurs in climate action and emphasized the crucial need for robust support, especially in the initial stages of their initiatives.

Through our representation at COP28, we are dedicated to enhancing our support for early-stage impact-driven solutions in Indonesia. Our commitment remains firm in advocating for private sector financing, capital mobilization, and staying informed about global climate challenges. ANGIN persistently advises and contributes toward a sustainable, carbon net-zero world. In particular, our INTRA program ensures ANGIN comprehensively addresses both supply and demand, striving to scale impact investment and entrepreneurship.

Our partnership with EBF at COP28 stands as a testament to our shared representation of Indonesia’s advancements in sustainable agroforestry practices. As we move forward, we eagerly anticipate the next steps, collaborating with EBF through workshops and focused group discussions to explore potential partnerships and secure funding support. This remarkable opportunity has been truly invaluable, and we’re deeply grateful and thrilled to have played a part in this essential initiative.

About ANGIN

ANGIN is Indonesia’s first and largest tech-enabled early stage investment platform and development advisory consulting company, working to build a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our team strives to support Indonesia’s economic development by investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs and by bringing best in class practices to Indonesian early stage investment.

Instagram: @angin.indonesia ; @angin.sustainability ; @angin.advisory
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/angin-angel-investment-network-indonesia-

Previous Report by ANGIN

66 People and Organizations Moving Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investment in Indonesia (2nd Edition)

This report is the follow up of 2018 ecosystem mapping report ANGIN released in 2019.

52 Figures and Organizations Moving Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investment in Indonesia (1st Edition)

This report is the first edition of ANGIN ecosystem mapping report released in 2018.

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Sustainability Professionals in Indonesia: A First Showcase

This new showcase is brought to you by ANGIN.

Introduction

ANGIN team is glad to present to you: “Sustainability Professionals in Indonesia: A First Showcase”!

This showcase highlights 30 key individuals with extensive expertise in sustainability. We emphasize professionals from capital providers, with a further acknowledgment for those who contribute significantly to nurturing Indonesia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through various ways.

Report Overview

As the Indonesian ESG and sustainability landscape grows, so does the demand for expertise. There is currently a large gap in the demand for sustainability professionals, and the availability of local talents. We are receiving weekly requests from investor clients, partners who are looking to develop their capacity and human resources in sustainability and therefore search for individual key talents to join this effort.

We are proud to always actively contribute in advancing Indonesia’s ESG and Sustainability efforts through impact-related capacity building, maintaining an active network of impact investors, and developing market intelligences regarding sustainability. We witnessed the success of our previous showcase and market landscaping (Checkout our report! : 66 People and Organizations Moving Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investment in Indonesia ) (Checkout our report! : 40 Women Leaders shaping Gender Lens Investment in Indonesia).

We thought providing, while not exhaustive, a comprehensive list of accredited individuals in the sustainability field would help everyone. Moving towards prompting a bigger interest in sustainability, our objective is to provide a tool where sustainability can grow its recognition.

This showcase is likewise an initial effort to inspire the new generation of workers to join the talent pool of ESG and sustainability. We aim to guide future talents who are interested through the past professional and educational insights of these figures, in hope to mimic their success.

Out of the 30 individuals we have shortlisted, we were able to extract some early learnings. This initial insight likewise prompted another report that will soon be published by ANGIN, regarding the gap between the sustainability job market demand and the readiness of the talent pool in Indonesia, and how improvement in Indonesian higher education can play a part, stay tuned!

This showcase was created by ANGIN team.

Should you believe we overlooked anyone, please submit their details to the link below so we can continue to grow the recognition for sustainability in Indonesia! 

Previous Report by ANGIN

66 People and Organizations Moving Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investment in Indonesia (2nd Edition)

This report is the follow up of 2018 ecosystem mapping report ANGIN released in 2019.

52 Figures and Organizations Moving Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investment in Indonesia (1st Edition)

This report is the first edition of ANGIN ecosystem mapping report released in 2018.

Share this to your network

[RECAP] UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2018

UNLEASH Innovation lab is a global non-profit initiative that brings together 1000+ passionate young talents, experts and facilitators from all around the world to collaborate on ideas and solutions for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNLEASH was first held in August in Denmark in 2017. This year the UNLEASH Innovation Lab was held in Singapore from May 30, 2018 to June 6, 2018. It featured 1000 carefully selected talents from 100+ countries and diverse backgrounds, who participated in 8 days of intense ideation to unlock the power of collaboration and human innovation to provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. I was fortunate enough to be selected from a pool of more than 7,000 applicants to attend and participate in the UNLEASH Innovation Lab in Singapore this year.

Inspiring and thought-provoking speeches from experts and leaders such as President of Singapore Halimah Yacob, former President of Timor Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta, Academy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker and the social humanoid robot, Sophia, were some of the highlights of this year’s event.

This year, UNLEASH focused on 8 SDGs: Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well Being, Quality Education, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Responsible Supply Chain and Production, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Climate Action. The participants, called Unleash talents, were divided among these 8 categories. In a team consisting of amazing 6 individuals, I worked on SDG 12, Responsible Supply Chain and Production, and developed a solution to tackle the problem of food waste by supermarkets at the consumer level. My team created ‘Second Life Shelves’, an offline and online platform that enables supermarkets to connect with consumers to sell the food that is approaching the specified date (use by, sell by or best before) using a dynamic pricing algorithm.

During the eight-days program, the teams followed a structured innovation process facilitated by content and business experts to co-create innovative ideas and solutions for the designated SDGs. UNLEASH’s innovation process consists of five steps: problem framing, ideation, prototyping, testing and implementation. The teams were carefully formulated to ensure diversity in terms of experience and strengths. Many people might argue that innovation and ideation cannot be structured via pre-determined activities and steps, however, UNLEASH believes that with the help of a structured set of activities and design thinking, teams can co-create and innovate to develop viable solutions for a variety of problems.

Although my team did not win awards for the solution that we developed, I brought home invaluable experiences and gained immense knowledge about how innovation and collaboration can be used for creating an impact and changing the world. I am so glad to have participated in UNLEASH 2018, and to have met so many amazing, inspiring and like-minded individuals that I, now, can call my “UNLEASH Family”.

 

UNLEASH is a global non-profit initiative that is supported by various global actors, including UNDP, Deloitte, Carlsberg Foundation, and Dalberg. UNLEASH will be hosting the innovation lab every year until 2030 with an aim to tackle the SDGs. It’s exciting to see UNLEASH creating a wave of change around the world and inspiring thousands every year to create a better and more sustainable world.

Find out more at www.unleash.org

If you would like to know more about my experience at UNLEASH, shoot me an email at riaz@angin.id

[RECAP] Indonesia Sustainability Seminar 2018

ANGIN team attended the Indonesia Sustainability Seminar 2018, organized by Most Valued Business (MVB) Indonesia, on 8th May 2018 at Hotel Raffles in Jakarta, Indonesia. The theme of the seminar was “Securing Sustainable Future through Innovation and Dedication”.

A number of interesting speakers from public sector, private sector and the academia share their ideas and experiences on how to incorporate social responsibility in the business processes. The speakers included Alistair Speirs (Chairman of MVB Indonesia), H. E Rasmus A. Kristensen (Ambassador of Denmark for Indonesia), Maria Nindita Radyanti (Executive Director of CECT Trisakti), Paola Cannuciari (Co-Founder of Waste4Change) and Bjorn Heidrich (President Director of BayWa r.e.).

  1. E Rasmus A. Kristensen, the Ambassador of Denmark for Indonesia, in his keynote presentation, highlighted the initiated taken by Denmark towards a sustainable future. The ambassador made a very interesting remark about how innovation is driving sustainability and changing the competitive landscape. He spoke about Denmark’s commitment towards promoting circular economy and resource efficiency. He also shared case studies of how Danish companies are developing and pioneering circular economy solutions. One of the most interesting cases was how many companies are using low-cost clean energy in Denmark to build their massive data centres and then, utilizing the heat produced from data centres to heat homes.

Maria Nindita Radyanti, Director of CECT Trisakti, delivered a presentation on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not only about external impact and philanthropy but also about the impact of the internal business activities and decisions. Furthermore, she noted that CSR is an activity with the objective of sustainable development and also, demonstrated how businesses can incorporate CSR across the value chain.

The seminar also showcased two businesses, Waste4Change and BayWa r. e., that shared their experiences and how they are contributing towards sustainable development.

Overall, the seminar provided valuable insights into how innovation has led to clean-tech revolution and is driving sustainability.

 

Indonesia Sustainability Seminar 2018: Securing Sustainable Future through Innovation and Dedication

Passionate about sustainability? If you are, then this seminar is just for you!
This year’s MVB Indonesia seminar raises the theme of Securing Sustainable Future through Innovation and Dedication. Their seminar will bring together speakers from government, industry, academia and NGO’s to really help members to try new ways and new ideas for improvement, and this seminar has exactly that mix: Danish Ambassador whose passion for innovation and sustainability is enormous, Maria Nindita who’s is one of Indonesia’s foremost speakers on sustainability and Paola Cannuciari who is pioneer of recycling and repurposing.
Reserve your seats now!
Contact Person: +6282197902642 (Miranda)
 

Sunarni Widyastuti of Repong Indonesia

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Sunarni Widyastuti. I am from Repong Indonesia, a social enterprise that provides environmental services for tourism within the state forest area in Lampung, as well as agro-tourism outside of the forest area. Our aim is to assist the forest farmers in the area, to be less dependent on forest resources, and thus to prevent further destruction to the forestlands. By finding alternative sources of income for local people and their economy, we are able to maintain the sustainability of the forest, protect its biodiversity, and increase the animal population. For example, we help locals manufacture products made from non-wood materials such as honey, handicrafts from bamboo, etc.

We want to enhance environmental awareness as well as nurture the ecosystem balance and sustainability of the lives of the people surrounding the region through business. Business is one of the keys to ensuring environmental preservation – that the environment is continually maintained. We hope to increase the population of wild animals and maintain harmony within the community. That is our hope.

What motivated you to work for this enterprise?

First, because we have a vision to maintain the balance of the forest ecosystem and prevent it from being exploited. Secondly, in doing so, the local community needs to find new ways of earning a living. Thus by using a tour permit, people are able to sell forest resources legally while contributing to the local economy. Previously, much of the forest area was deemed illegal for extracting resources whereas now farmers can benefit from the forests and maintain a livelihood. Our priority is within the state forest region as well as outside this area.

We also strive to protect the animal population. At the moment, we have a conservation program for animals prone to extinction such as the rhinoceros as well as a variety of bird species. Visitors are also invited to plant trees together to promote forest regrowth from forest fires. We are also experiencing human conflicts with elephants within the forest. In order to be a sustainable business, we have to make sure that people are not dependent on the forest, and that the animals are also not disturbed.

What particular challenges have you faced thus far?

At the moment, we are having difficulties with sustaining our projects financially over a longer period of time. We try to fundraise, however, and have received a considerable amount of local government grants and village funds. However this is still not yet optimal, so the role of our NGO is to provide intensive assistance to the local community in the case that the government has not been able to meet our financial demands.

How do you go about overcoming these obstacles?

 

Generally, we rely on the sharing of community resources and mutual cooperation. For example, we reach out to local governments and districts when we are urgently short on funding. After that, we look to NGOs such as WWF and WCS. And if there are still shortcomings, we look for more donors until we fulfil our needs. Indeed, it is not sustainable, so it is our role as an NGO to network and attend forums on entrepreneurship for example, to improve our business. Either way it is not easy, but urgent matters can always be overcome. We have had 20 years of experience in this field, and the community has been able to handle business independently.

What can we do to help this cause?

The development of our enterprise is something we need to prioritize at the moment. Particularly in terms of the sustainability and scalability of it. Both of these aspects are important as our business does in fact need diversification so that it can become attractive to buyers and investors. Because of the nature of services, there needs to be some sort of business diversification which is why we offer some tour packages. So the packages may have things to diversify. Secondly, sustainable practices needs to be implemented to ensure our the preservation of the forest and our future.