Jakarta –10 April, 2025 — SEAMEO BIOTROP actively participated in the series of events held during the official visit of the SEAMEO Council (SEAMEC) President, Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, to Indonesia. The event took place during the “Visit of the SEAMEC President to SEAMEO RECFON” on Thursday, 10 April 2025, at the Faculty of Medicine Building, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta.

The event was attended by high-ranking officials from various institutions, including the Secretary General of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) of the Republic of Indonesia, Ms. Suharti Sutar; Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat, Datuk Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim; Rector of Universitas Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah; as well as the Directors of seven SEAMEO Centres in Indonesia.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Suharti emphasized that the Government of Indonesia remains committed to aligning national policies with SEAMEO’s priority programs for 2021–2030, including the implementation of 13 years of compulsory education, curriculum strengthening, teacher quality enhancement, literacy and language development, and the provision of improved educational infrastructure.

SEAMEC President Senator Angara, in his speech, asserted that education is the primary defense amid various global challenges such as the climate crisis, rapid technological advancements, and social inequality. He encouraged all SEAMEO member countries to promote learning exchanges focused on collective action, resilience, and inclusive educational transformation.

SEAMEO BIOTROP took this opportunity to present a range of strategic programs under the theme “Nurturing Nature, Sustaining Future.” The flagship programs showcased included: Agro-Edu-Eco Tourism (AEET) – the integration of education, agriculture, and ecotourism for conservation and contextual learning; School of Biodiversity (SoB) – strengthening schools’ capacity in biodiversity conservation; Biodiversity Academic Leaders (BAL) – developing academic leadership based on biodiversity; and KOLOSAL (Collaborative Literacy on Science and Nature) – publication and dissemination of knowledge on biodiversity.

In addition to the presentation session, SEAMEO BIOTROP also participated in an exhibition featuring program achievements and innovations from all SEAMEO Centres in Indonesia. Through this event, SEAMEO BIOTROP further solidified its position as a center of excellence in tropical biosciences and environmental education in Southeast Asia.