Lombok, September 11, 2024 – The Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Mataram (FEB UNRAM) successfully participated as a co-host in organizing the Public Sector International Conference (PSIC) 2024, an international scientific conference initiated by a consortium of several universities. The event, which took place on September 11-12, 2024, was organized by PKN STAN and became a forum for exchanging ideas, findings, and concepts for academics, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of accounting, management, and public sector economics. With the main theme “Creative Local Finance to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals 2030”, PSIC 2024 raised important issues related to local finance and sustainable development. Several sub-themes discussed in this conference include:

1. Creative Local Finances: Public Infrastructure, Crowd-funding for Local Projects, Public-Private Partnerships at the Local Level, Local Tax Strategies, Community-Based Financing Models, Local Investment Platforms, Carbon Sequestration and Forest Restoration, and Economic Incentives for Sustainable Forest Management.
2. Environmental Finance: Environmental and natural resource development, Green Investment, Carbon Markets and Emissions Trading, ESG Integration, Biodiversity Conservation Finance, Renewable Energy Finance, Climate-Related Risks and Insurance, and Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation.
3. Economic Empowerment of SMEs: Financing for the Development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Village-Owned Enterprises, Digital Transformation of MSMEs, Supply Chain Management, MSME Risk Management, Globalization and Internationalization of MSMEs, and Innovation and Product Development.
4. Public Sector Accountability: Public Sector Accounting, Audit, Financial Accounting, Public Service Agencies, Third Parties, Philanthropy, Budget, Management, Economics, Public Financial Management, Public Policy, and Public Administration.

In the discussion session on the first day, themed Creative Local Finance, Saipul Arni Muhsyaf, SE., MM., Ph.D., Vice Dean 2 of FEB UNRAM, also played a role as a discussant, providing critical views and enriching the discussion on innovative local finance to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. Several prominent speakers who spoke at this session included:

• Radies Kusprihanto Purbo, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D., Director General of Fiscal Balance, Indonesia,
• Ilham, S.Pd, M.Pd., Regent of West Lombok,
• Prof. Jin Kwang So, Ph.D., academic from Gachon University, Korea.

This conference is expected to strengthen inter-institutional synergy and enrich insights into innovative local financial policies and challenges in public sector development at the global and local levels. On the second day of PSIC 2024, the event continued with a parallel session attended by lecturers and students from PKN STAN, FEB UNRAM, and Universitas Terbuka. This session was a place to present scientific papers that had been prepared by the conference participants. Dozens of students from FEB UNRAM also attended as an audience in this paper presentation session, providing them with the opportunity to enrich their scientific insights and explore various topics related to public finance, management, and public sector accounting. The presenters presented their research covering various sub-themes of PSIC 2024, such as Creative Local Finance, Environmental Finance, Economic Empowerment of SMEs, and Public Sector Accountability. In this session, each paper received special attention from the participants and in-depth discussions regarding the research results presented. The active participation of FEB UNRAM students and lecturers in this conference strengthened their commitment to developing knowledge in the field of public finance and sustainable development, as well as expanding academic and professional networks at the international level. This conference is expected to be the beginning of further synergy in public sector research and development in the future.