Medan – The 18th National Working Meeting (Rakernas) of the Association of Indonesian City Governments (APEKSI) officially concluded in Medan on Thursday (July 3). Themed “Resilient City, Sovereign Nation,” the Rakernas produced ten strategic recommendations as a united voice for city governments in strengthening resilient, adaptive, and sustainable urban development.
The series of activities at the 18th APEKSI Rakernas, held from June 28–July 4, 2026, provided a collaborative space for city governments to exchange experiences, strengthen networks, and formulate solutions to various urban challenges. In addition to the Rakernas as a strategic organizational forum, the series of activities also included the Youth City Changers (YCC), Ladies Program, Head of Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) Forum, Environmental Forum, Digital Communication Forum (Komdigi), Food Forum, Business and Investment Forum, Nusantara Cultural Carnival, and Indonesia City Expo (ICE). These various forums enriched discussions on strategic issues, ranging from fiscal resilience, infrastructure development, digital transformation, food security, environmental management, and improving the quality of public services. These were then formulated into joint recommendations at the 18th APEKSI National Working Meeting.
The various discussions at the National Working Meeting included strengthening regional fiscal resilience, structuring civil servant (ASN) policies, accelerating infrastructure development, digital transformation of government, environmental and waste management, food security, strengthening the local economy, spatial planning and interregional cooperation, strengthening legal certainty, and increasing youth participation in city development.
Through a plenary session, all city governments in attendance agreed on 10 recommendations from the 18th APEKSI National Working Meeting:
- Strengthening fiscal capacity and reforming central-regional financial relations.
- Structuring civil servant (ASN) policies, PPPK (Performance Reduction Program), and flexibility in regional spending.
- Strengthening governance of national strategic programs in the regions.
- Accelerating infrastructure development and regional connectivity.
- Transforming governance and digitizing public services.
- Strengthening environmental resilience and sustainable cities.
- Strengthening the local economy and inclusive development.
- Strengthening spatial planning, regional cooperation, and regional development.
- Strengthening legal advocacy and regulatory certainty.
- Involving the younger generation in sustainable urban development.
APEKSI Executive Director, Alwis Rustam, stated that these recommendations were the result of the consolidation of various forums and discussions during the National Working Meeting. He stated that city governments have direct experience in facing various development challenges, so the input formulated at the National Working Meeting is expected to be part of strengthening national policies.
APEKSI’s 18th National Working Meeting emphasized that city resilience is not only related to disaster preparedness, but also encompasses fiscal resilience, quality public services, economic development, digital transformation, environmental management, and intergovernmental collaboration to achieve public welfare.
A total of 88 mayors, 4 deputy mayors, 2 regional secretaries, and 1 head of the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) are confirmed to attend APEKSI’s 18th National Working Meeting, representing 98 APEKSI member cities. The cultural carnival is expected to involve around 2,800 participants, while the Indonesia City Expo and bazaar will feature 375 MSMEs. The Medan City Government estimates that the National Working Meeting will boost economic turnover by approximately IDR 72 billion.
The resulting ten recommendations will form part of APEKSI’s advocacy agenda to the central government, demonstrating the city government’s shared commitment to realizing increasingly resilient, inclusive, and competitive cities, in line with the spirit of “Resilient City, Sovereign Nation.”
Contact Person
Devy Munir, APEKSI Strategic Communications Manager
Email: info@apeksi.id
Website: apeksi.id
Microsite: apeksi.id/rakernas2026