This year marks the 30th anniversary of the sister city partnership between Jakarta and Berlin. To commemorate this milestone, AsiaBerlin, a collaborative platform bringing together communities in the startup ecosystems of Asia and Berlin, organized the event "Jakarta x Berlin: Uniting Digital Visions for Global Entrepreneurial Success." The event took place at the Future City Hub on January 17, 2024, and was attended by the Jakarta Provincial Government, representatives from the German Embassy in Jakarta, the Berlin Senate Chancellery, and various Jakarta-Berlin organizations.

The Commemoration of 30 Years of Jakarta-Berlin Cooperation at the Future City Hub

Celebrating the Sister City Collaboration of Jakarta-Berlin

At this event, AsiaBerlin introduced the Expansion Lab, a new initiative aimed at connecting organizations in Berlin with those in Jakarta. Additionally, AsiaBerlin also introduced the Digital Hub Network collaboration initiated by the Digital Transformation Center (DTC) Indonesia and implemented by GIZ on behalf of BAPPENAS (National Development Planning Agency). Meanwhile, DTC Indonesia is part of the Global Programme Digital Transformation that supports Indonesia in facing the challenges of national digital transformation. The goal of this initiative is to reduce digital divides and provide equal opportunities for every community to benefit from various digital prospects.

The Commemoration of 30 Years of Jakarta-Berlin Cooperation at the Future City Hub

The "Jakarta x Berlin: Uniting Digital Visions for Global Entrepreneurial Success" event began with a welcome address from Andrie Yuswanto, acting Jakarta Smart City Chief. On this occasion, Andrie expanded sincere appreciation for the establishment of the Expansion Lab. Furthermore, he highlighted the sister city collaboration between Jakarta and Berlin, “This year, we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Jakarta-Berlin partnership as sister cities. We hope today's meeting will strengthen the synergy between Jakarta and Berlin.”

The Commemoration of 30 Years of Jakarta-Berlin Cooperation at the Future City Hub

Subsequently, greetings were also given by Jan Groschoff from the German Embassy in Jakarta and Thomas Keil representing the Berlin Senate Chancellery. In his speech, Thomas Keil expressed his hopes regarding the Future City Hub and Expansion Lab in strengthening the partnership between the two cities. "The Future City Hub is an important result of the close cooperation between Jakarta and Berlin on smart cities, good governance and vibrant startup ecosystems. With the expansion lab program as part of AsiaBerlin, Berlin fosters the connections between its startups and the ecosystems in Jakarta and other parts of Asia." At the end of his speech, he invited the Jakarta Provincial Government, particularly Jakarta Smart City, to be part of the AsiaBerlin Summit scheduled for November 25, 2024, at Berlin's City Hall.

Strengthening the Jakarta-Berlin Organization Through the "Digital Innovation Visions" Panel Discussion

The second session of the Jakarta x Berlin event was "Berlin Goes to Jakarta”. In this session, organizations based in Jakarta and Berlin shared their experiences and motivations for collaborating with organizations from their respective sister cities.

The Commemoration of 30 Years of Jakarta-Berlin Cooperation at the Future City Hub

It then followed with the "Digital Innovation Visions" panel discussion. This panel invited five speakers, namely Ilham Akbar Habibie from Habibie Innovation Incubator, Nicko Widjadja from BRI Ventures, Katka Nagyova from betahaus, Shinta Dhanuwardoyo from Bubu.com, and Arya Setiadharma from Prasetia Ventures. The discussion was moderated by Daniel Tumewu from AsiaBerlin. Through the "Digital Innovation Visions" panel, not only could organizations from Jakarta and Berlin listen to insights from the speakers, but they could also discuss the latest developments in the digital realm.

The Commemoration of 30 Years of Jakarta-Berlin Cooperation at the Future City Hub

The "Jakarta x Berlin: Uniting Digital Visions for Global Entrepreneurial Success" event concluded with a Networking Session & Dinner. During this session, organizations from Jakarta and Berlin could engage in conversations, discuss each other's ideas, and explore opportunities for collaboration. They also sought feedback and connected with the speakers from the preceding panel discussion.

The Commemoration of 30 Years of Jakarta-Berlin Cooperation at the Future City Hub

Let's Support the Partnership Towards Jakarta as a Global City!

As known, Jakarta is gearing up to become a global city. To enhance its performance as a global city, Jakarta needs to build synergies with other cities worldwide. This is necessary so that these cities can get to know Jakarta more closely, be interested in the context of innovation, research, or data, and open up opportunities for joint partnerships. The synergy built between Jakarta and Berlin over the past thirty years is expected to serve as a catalyst for collaboration with other cities to support Jakarta as a global city.

In conclusion, this report highlights the activities of "Jakarta x Berlin: Uniting Digital Visions for Global Entrepreneurial Success." It is hoped that this event will further strengthen the collaboration between Jakarta and Berlin and give rise to innovations and collaborations.