Indonesia

Projects

Sustainable Landscape Program Indonesia (SLPI-LASR)

The Sustainable Landscape Program Indonesia (SLPI-LASR) unites the local government, private companies, and rural communities to balance economic growth and governance with environmental protection. A race to protect one of the world’s most critical ecosystems in Aceh and sustain livelihoods before forests fall silent.

Swiss Import Promotion Programme

The Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) is a well-established mandate of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) within the framework of its economic development cooperation. The programme has been implemented by Swisscontact since 2017 and is now in phase 3.

The overall objective of SIPPO is to integrate developing and transition countries into world trade. In a facilitation role, SIPPO advises and supports so-called Business Support Organisations (BSOs) in 11 partner countries. Through innovative and targeted export promotion services, BSOs strengthen the export capabilities of companies intending to export and facilitate market access and exports to Switzerland, the EU, and regional markets.

Swiss Skills for Competitiveness (SS4C)

SS4C is to strengthen the incentives and capacities of public and private dual vocational education and training (dVET) providers at the micro- and meso-level so that the skills of graduates match the needs of industry, thereby improving small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) productivity and contributing to more competitive SMEs in Indonesia competing on the global market.

News

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01.10.2026

The Indigenous People of Subulussalam, Aceh, Who Didn’t Wait for the Law to Protect the Forest

"If outsiders take over our forest, we will suffer. Just one night of rain and the river overflows,” Sabariah recalled the dreadful experience back in May 2024. Heavy rainfall caused the Singgersing River in Subulussalam City, Aceh, to overflow, inundating villages including Jabi-Jabi and Sigrun. Residents reported muddy floodwaters carrying logs and debris believed to be linked to land-clearing activities upstream. Months later, in October and November 2024, intense rainfall submerged parts of the national Aceh - North Sumatra highway and residential areas across Subulussalam. The floods reinforced a lesson local communities have long understood: consequences of degraded forests flow downstream, jeopardising people’s lives.

30.09.2026

The Day the Market and Businesses Start Investing in Better Education

The conversation between vocational institutions and employers has long been trapped in the same loop. Companies expect graduates who are prepared for the workplace, while schools strive to improve their programme. Institutions traditionally design curricula first, leaving industry review as a secondary step. By the time students graduate, workflows have evolved. In the case of Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya (PENS), they invest in flipping the process, asking first, “What does a Network Engineer do every day? What tools are used, and what responsibilities come with the role?”

10.09.2026

The Farmers and Market Were Ready, so Why Did Growth Slow Down? Inside the Missing Link in Aceh Tenggara’s Cocoa Future

Across the province, numbers from the 2025 Aceh Plantation Statistics indicated a nearly 10% shrinkage in cocoa plantations in just four years. Land was being converted to other uses, and production was under pressure. A young cocoa nursery owner, Andre Syahrizal, was witnessing a different reality. He saw an increasing demand for improved clones, with more cocoa farmers looking for superior planting materials. Running a cocoa nursery in Bukit Tusam at just 25, Andre recognized this as the exact breakthrough every business owner hopes for. Unsurprisingly, demand alone did not build a business.

OUR INTERVENTIONS

Since its inception in Indonesia more than 50 years ago, Swisscontact has been known for its expertise in skills development, sustainable agriculture, green cities, sustainable tourism, entrepreneurial ecosystem, and trade. Swisscontact Indonesia currently implements three programs and project as follows.

The Swiss Skills for Competitiveness (SS4C) Program aims to strengthen dual vocational education and training (dVET) providers to match graduates’ skills with industry needs, thereby boosting the productivity and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is also a testament of Swisscontact’s lasting commitment in supporting Indonesia’s skills development initiatives, which started with setting up the country’s first polytechnic in the 1970s.

The Leuser Alas-Singkil River Basin (LASR) Project, part of the Sustainable Landscape Program Indonesia (SLPI), aims to promote improved land use management that supports climate-resilient economic development across three districts in the Leuser Ecosystem using a jurisdictional landscape approach. Building on the success of earlier single-commodity initiatives like the Sustainable Cocoa Production Program (SCPP), LASR by Swisscontact focuses on collaboration with government and commodity supply chains to drive equitable economic and environmental development.

The Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) aims to support the Business Support Organisations (BSOs) to bring developing and transitioning nations into international trade. Currently in its Phase II (2021-2025), SIPPO focuses on capacity building strategy to enhance market access to Switzerland and European Union for the BSOs in 12 partner countries, including Indonesia.

50 Years of Creating Opportunities in Indonesia

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Team

The abilities and readiness for action of our employees are decisive for our projects’ ability to achieve sustainable impact, as well as our long-term success. As an attractive employer, Swisscontact invests in a positive management and work culture. This is defined by our fundamental understanding of development intended to serve not only our beneficiaries in project countries but our employees as well.

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