TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Museums are more than places that preserve history; they are spaces for learning, dialogue, and public engagement. Recognizing the growing role of museums in advancing sustainable development, the United Nations in Indonesia, in collaboration with the Jakarta Provincial Government, MUSEE ID, AMI DKI Jakarta, and museum partners, today, July 15, 2026, launched the Mainstreaming SDGs in Museums initiative at Jakarta City Hall. The initiative will strengthen the capacity of museums to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into exhibitions, educational programs, and public engagement.
The initiative will explore how museums can communicate global challenges through Indonesia’s rich cultural heritage and local wisdom. Throughout the workshop series, participating UN agencies will share their experiences, expertise, and good practices, demonstrating how the SDGs are translated into concrete actions across different sectors.
The program builds on the establishment of the first SDG Corner in an Indonesian museum, at Museum Bahari. Launched earlier this year through a collaboration between the Jakarta Provincial Government and the United Nations in Indonesia, the SDG Corner has become a pioneering model for integrating sustainable development into museum spaces and public education. Through this initiative, the approach is expected to be expanded to more museums across Jakarta and eventually throughout Indonesia.
“Ten years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the world is facing increasingly complex challenges. At a time like this, museums have an increasingly important role—not only in preserving our shared heritage, but also in helping people understand today’s global challenges, fostering dialogue, and inspiring collective action for people and planet,” said Miklos Gaspar, Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Jakarta.
He added, “Indonesia’s museums preserve stories of resilience, diversity, innovation, and peaceful coexistence. By connecting these stories with the SDGs, museums can make sustainable development more accessible, relevant, and meaningful to the public.”
Yiyok T. Herlambang, Chair of the Indonesian Museum Association of Jakarta (AMI DKI Jakarta), welcomed the collaboration and reaffirmed Jakarta’s commitment to strengthening museums as public learning spaces.
“The SDG Corner at Museum Bahari has demonstrated that museums can become spaces where people learn about sustainable development and their role in achieving it. Through this initiative, we hope that more museums across Jakarta will integrate the SDGs into their programs and become active partners in building a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable city,” he said.
The impact of the initiative has been experienced firsthand by Museum Bahari Jakarta.
“Through the SDG Corner, we have seen how global issues can be communicated in ways that are more relatable and accessible to the public. We hope Museum Bahari’s experience as the pioneer of the SDG Corner concept will serve as a reference for other museums in integrating the SDGs into exhibitions, educational programs, and community engagement,” said Mis’ari, Head of the Museum Bahari Management Unit.
Meanwhile, Noffa Farida Lestari, Chair of the museum consultancy media MUSEE ID, reaffirmed the museum community’s commitment to supporting the sustainable development agenda.
“By linking museum collections and narratives to the Sustainable Development Goals, visitors can see that values such as environmental stewardship, equality, mutual cooperation, resilience, and peaceful coexistence have long been embedded in Indonesia’s cultural heritage. We hope that collaboration between the United Nations, the Jakarta Provincial Government, and MUSEE ID will inspire more museums across Indonesia to make the SDGs an integral part of their educational mission and public service,” she said.
The Mainstreaming SDGs in Museums program contributes to the United Nations’ global “5 Years For” campaign, marking the beginning of the final five-year sprint toward achieving the 2030 Agenda by bringing the SDGs closer to people’s everyday lives through practical, people-centred stories and actions.
The workshop series marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration to strengthen museums as partners in advancing sustainable development in Indonesia.
Read: Jakarta to Host International Museum Conference in November
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