Yogyakarta, July 24, 2026—The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) at Universitas Gadjah Mada held the second day of the 4th Congress of the Indonesian Social Development Association (APSI) on Thursday (July 24) at the 4th Floor Auditorium of FISIPOL. Kicking off the agenda, the main stage featured a keynote speech delivered by the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat.
In his speech, Mr. Jumhur raised the theme “Reviving Environmental Indicators for Social Development: From Ecological Figures to Family Resilience, Justice, and Sustainable Livelihoods”. He drew a common thread that the ecological condition of a region greatly determines the welfare of its community. Social development efforts cannot be separated from environmental conservation, as both are mutually supporting pillars. Ecological damage, he emphasized, will ultimately affect the family as the smallest social unit, and its impacts most severely threaten vulnerable groups such as children, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
“In my opinion, it will be necessary to add socio-ecological resilience indicators in social development, and vice versa,” stated Mr. Jumhur.
Concluding his speech, the Minister of Environment encouraged APSI to further strengthen the Tri Dharma of Higher Education (the three pillars: education, research, and community service) activities that are fully grounded in a socio-ecological perspective, such as through the establishment of socio-ecological laboratories and the formulation of policy recommendations targeting family resilience.
Following the keynote speech, the agenda continued with a session titled “Reflection on the Development of Social Development Studies and Practices in Indonesia”. This session was moderated by Dra. Widati, Lic.rer.reg., who emphasized the practical essence of this discipline.
“Social development is not just a scientific discipline, but how that science impacts society,” she remarked.
The discussion featured three experts: Prof. Dr. Abdur Rozaki, M.Si. (UIN Sunan Kalijaga), Prof. Drs. Isbandi Rukminto Adi, M.Kes., Ph.D. (Universitas Indonesia), and Milda Longgeita Br. Pinem, S.Sos., M.A., Ph.D. (Universitas Gadjah Mada). Highlighting the empowerment approach, Prof. Isbandi explained the hierarchy of community capital.
“In social development, our focus is on human capital, spiritual capital, and social capital. These are what need to be strengthened in empowerment programs,” he explained. According to him, these three basic capitals will later become the foundation for developing financial capital, environmental capital, physical capital, and technological capital.
Overall, this dialogue series at the 4th APSI Congress reflects the concrete steps taken by academics and practitioners to realize an inclusive living space. The synergy between ecological conservation, poverty eradication, and the strengthening of social institutional capital serves as a tangible reflection of the effort to realize development that leaves no one behind. This dialogue serves as an important foundation for alleviating inequality, responding to the climate crisis, and building cross-sectoral partnerships for a resilient and sustainable future for society.