03 July 2025
Fenny Julistine Tarigan
The SDGs Center of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), in collaboration with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia, organized a Public Dissemination Seminar titled “Sustainable Trade and Investment: Achieving Resilience and Sustainability Amid Uncertainty” on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at Hotel Santika Premiere Dyandra, Medan.
Dr. Wahyu Ario Pratomo, M.Ec, Head of the SDGs Center USU and Senior Lecturer at FEB USU officially opened the seminar. In his opening remarks, he emphasized the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in raising awareness and building policy systems that support the transition toward trade and investment aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also noted that Indonesia currently ranks seventh out of seventy-four countries in terms of its commitment to the SDGs globally, and holds the first rank in the Asian region.
This event aimed to discuss the global and domestic dynamics influencing green trade and investment while exploring evidence-based policy opportunities. Various stakeholders, including academics, government officials, private sector actors, and civil society organizations, attended the seminar.
During the presentation sessions, Firsal Dida Mutyara, Chairman of the North Sumatra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), explained the significant role of the business sector in supporting the adoption of sustainability principles, particularly through green investment, MSME training, and the development of low-carbon technologies. Following this, Dr. H. Faisal Arif Nasution, S.Sos, M.Si, Head of the North Sumatra Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office (DPMPTSP), presented data on investment realization and outlined strategies for promoting green industry development in the region. Yosi Sukmono, ST, Secretary of the Department of Industry, Trade, and Energy and Mineral Resources of North Sumatra, discussed the export potential of North Sumatra and highlighted the need to enhance sustainability standards in response to global regulatory pressures such as CBAM and EUDR.
Representing CSIS Indonesia, Deni Friawan and Nadya Daulay presented findings from the Sustainable Trade and Investment Report (STIR), which included analyses of global trade trends, carbon emissions within international trade, and Indonesia’s potential in developing green value chains. They also introduced the DfD Dashboard, a data-driven platform for formulating evidence-based policies.
Dr. Monika Andrasari, M.Si from the SDGs Center USU, moderated the seminar. This event is expected to strengthen the synergy among stakeholders in accelerating the transformation toward an inclusive, low-carbon, and resilient economy amidst ongoing global uncertainties.
