STEI Alumni Chosen as Chairman of Unesco Global Geopark Youth Forum

The Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) has successfully led the Indonesian representative,
Immanuel Deo, to become the first-ever Chairman of the
UNESCO Global Geopark Youth Forum (UGGYF).
In the election, Deo outperformed competitors from Romania and Malaysia, and he now leads a forum composed of youth representatives from geoparks across 44 countries.

Profile and Selection Process

Immanuel Deo is a graduate of Electrical Power Engineering from STEI-ITB (Class of 2015), completing his studies in just 3.5 years.
Before being elected at the global level, he underwent a rigorous selection process conducted by Bappenas, competing against 148 participants through various stages, including the kick-off formation of the
Indonesia Geopark Youth Forum (IGYF).

Vision for Sustainable Development

The Minister of National Development Planning / Head of Bappenas, Suharso Monoarfa, hopes this momentum will trigger concrete action from youth in developing both Indonesian and international geoparks.

“This spirit of contribution is expected to spread positive energy to drive economic recovery and sustainable development.”

He also expressed his hope that the IGYF would serve as a representation that brings honor to Indonesia on the international stage.

Global Innovation and Collaboration

As Chairman, Deo is promoting a vision centered on
networking, engagement, and collaboration.
Key innovations proposed by Indonesia include:

• Geoparks Youth Platform Hub: A center for integrating the ideas of global youth.
• 1st UGGp Youth Forum: An inaugural event planned to take place in Bali in September 2022, integrated with Indonesia’s G20 agenda.

Deo emphasized that youth are the primary figures for educating the public about geoparks.
This view was echoed by Kristof Vandenberghe (UNESCO), who assessed that the IGYF work program is capable of effectively connecting global geoparks through information dissemination and increased public awareness.

Strategic Role of Youth

Through this forum, the Indonesian delegation and global youth have agreed on their strategic roles as collaborators.
Their primary focus is to serve as drivers of sustainable communication between local communities, local and central governments, as well as between younger and older generations.