Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), with 47 other universities, is supporting a program for independent waste management and the development of thematic villages in Yogyakarta City. This was formalized through a Joint Cooperation Agreement signed by UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia and Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at Hotel Tara Yogyakarta.
Rector Emilia stated that this partnership is a continuation of the joint commitment to addressing the waste emergency previously declared in Yogyakarta City.
“We have named this initiative Gandeng Gendong, a community empowerment program designed to tackle waste issues,” she explained.
Other forms of collaboration between UGM and the city government have included the revitalization of the Code River and the implementation of the Community Service Program (KKN-PPM), which is conducted in collaboration with other universities.
“KKN-PPM is one way UGM contributes to extending the benefits of higher education to the community, fostering both enlightenment and self-reliance among residents,” Professor Emilia added.
She welcomed the Yogyakarta City Government’s invitation to involve UGM in the thematic village development program, which is a collaborative effort to strengthen the city from the village level through synergistic partnerships between the university and local communities.
“I greatly appreciate this initiative to develop thematic villages in Yogyakarta by engaging multiple universities as mentoring partners to oversee the program’s progress,” she said.
Mayor Wardoyo explained that Yogyakarta City consists of 14 districts, 45 sub-districts, and 169 villages, each with diverse economic potentials ranging from culinary arts and crafts to textiles and cultural tourism.
The villages in Yogyakarta play a strategic role in improving local welfare through their flagship products.
These local economic potentials hold significant promise if developed optimally through multi-stakeholder collaboration.
“We aim to develop the community economy through a thematic village approach by involving universities via the One Village, One Sister University, One Sister Corporate program,” he stated.
Through a pentahelix collaboration model involving the city government, universities, corporations, villages, and communities, the initiative aims to have universities contribute knowledge through applied research and community service, thereby enhancing the capacity and quality of village flagship products.
“We hope the people of Yogyakarta will benefit from the innovations, knowledge, and skills brought by university students, which in turn will improve their quality of life,” he added.
For Mayor Wardoyo, the collaboration between students and communities is expected to help transform Yogyakarta into a more inclusive and progressive city.
“Yogyakarta is a growing city, and we want to ensure that every element in this city contributes to building a better future,” he concluded.
Author: Kezia Dwina Nathania
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographs: Yogyakarta City Government