IBTimes.ID – The Global Forum for Climate Movement (GFCM) is an important event for representatives from various sectors and countries to unite in addressing the environmental crisis. Held at Ahmad Dahlan University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the event was hosted by Muhammadiyah on 17-18 November 2023. The forum was held with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, ViriyaENB, Lazismu, Indonesian Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency, and Bank Syariah Indonesia.
Renewable Energy: Call to Action to Overcome Climate Change
The joint statement and call for action issued at the forum highlighted Muhammadiyah’s unwavering commitment to environmental issues through four steps: 1) nurturing a green culture; 2) innovation for climate resilience; 3) creating strategies, initiatives, regulations, and financial frameworks to deal with the impacts of climate change; and 4) building alliances for a greener future. Muhammadiyah also underlined that renewable energy is important and urgent to save the Earth.
Muhammadiyah, which has long affirmed the importance of the environment, recognises the need for concrete actions in advocacy, education, and social awareness for a greener future. In that effort, Muhammadiyah has established Environmental Institutes since 2000-which later transformed into Environmental Assemblies-at all levels of the organisation, ensuring environmental issues are covered in its Islamic guidelines.
At the Press Conference right after the Forum, Chairman of the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership in charge of International Relations and Cooperation, Syafiq A. Mughni, conveyed several things. “The forum that runs for 2 days provides inspiration, knowledge, motivation for all of us to take action, build a movement to save planet earth from damage,” he said. Furthermore, he explained that there were 3 broad lines of discussion in this forum, namely: green culture, innovation, and collaboration.
“In promoting green culture, we discuss efforts that can change people’s behaviour, and build awareness to jointly save the planet earth where we live together,” said Syafiq. In this forum, Muhammadiyah also declared the establishment of the Muhammadiyah Climate Centre (MCC).
As for innovation, Syafiq said that there must be innovations that provide a way out of the impact that global warming might have, be it innovations in building community structures, technology, science, to make energy more sustainable, safer, and cleaner. “We all have strengths in various fields. Collaboration with various institutions working on the same thing will make this movement stronger,” he continued.
Representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Director General for the Americas and Europe Umar Hadi, reiterated the urgency of concrete sustainable actions to address climate challenges, such as the establishment of the MCC and Indonesia’s contribution to reducing deforestation. Umar also stressed the importance of each country playing a role according to its capacity in the spirit of partnership in order to get around the limited resources available, and the need for a multi-stakeholder approach from all levels, governments, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and religious institutions and local communities.
“We at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs see that Muhammadiyah has enormous intellectual resources. Imagine from 172 universities, at UAD alone, how many scholars, how many intellectuals are here. If some of them want to devote their attention to this issue, we can adapt to overcome the problems caused by climate change. Humans must rely on innovation, and the best place to innovate is the university,” said Umar.
Furthermore, Susanti Sitorus from the Viriya Energi ENB Foundation expressed her support for joint action after the Global Forum. “We encourage Indonesia to have net zero emissions, through community groups, government and business. The central role of Muhammadiyah as the oldest community organisation in Indonesia, has the intellectual capacity and capacity to make actions, we really need this,” she said. He also hoped that through this activity Muhammadiyah would inspire people of other faiths to make changes in their communities.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of Muhammadiyah Central Leadership, Abdul Mu’ti explained the plan for activities after this meeting. “After this event Muhammadiyah will continue and strengthen initiatives to build movements related to environmental conservation and climate change, through Green Campus, Green Hospital, and develop various community-based movements and programmes,” he said.
UAD is one of the campuses that in the future will be developed to inspire Green Campus in all Muhammadiyah campuses. Regarding the Green Hospital, Mu’ti admitted that he had conducted an assessment with PP Muhammadiyah partners and several institutions concerned with the development of solar cells or solar-based energy, to develop a Green Hospital model, or an environmentally friendly Muhammadiyah hospital.
Renewable Energy is Important and Urgent to Save the Earth
Through a call to action, Muhammadiyah together with participants from various countries and sectors committed to address climate change as a universal humanitarian issue. The main focus is the development of renewable energy which is urgent to save the earth.
The call to action issued at the GFCM event emphasised several important points, including the cultivation of a green culture through religious values that highlight environmental sustainability, the integration of renewable energy solutions in educational infrastructure and public facilities, and the development of sustainable financial mechanisms to support climate adaptation.
Participants from various institutions and countries, including civil society organisations, the private sector, and governments, have affirmed their commitment to implement this call to action. Cross-sector alliances and country-to-country co-operation are key to addressing increasingly urgent environmental challenges.
As part of the global commitment to a greener future, the GFCM invites participants to ensure a sustainable future for future generations. The support of various parties, including educational institutions, religions and international organisations, marks an important step towards joint efforts to protect the Earth.
With cross-country and cross-sector collaboration and strong commitment, the hope of achieving the goal of Net Zero Emissions by 2060 or earlier, maintaining environmental sustainability, and building a sustainable future is increasingly real. This forum is a crucial moment in building alliances to safeguard our planet, home to all.
Building Alliances for a Greener Future
The GFCM was not only a platform for discussion, but also an opportunity to build strong alliances for a greener future. Participants from various sectors, including civil society organisations, the private sector, and governments, came together to find concrete solutions to address climate change.
The call to action issued at the event emphasised the importance of collaboration in addressing the climate challenge. It is evident that the formation of partnerships and co-operation across sectors is key to achieving positive impacts, both locally and globally.
Among the collaborations that have been mentioned include collaboration on sustainable projects such as community environmental clean-ups, tree planting initiatives, and waste reduction campaigns.
Not only that, the forum also encourages the establishment of forums and workshops to share knowledge and good practices in protecting the environment. This is important in order to mobilise the expertise and resources needed to address global environmental issues.
The concrete steps taken include the organisation of outreach programmes in collaboration with schools and universities. This aims to raise awareness about climate change and sustainable practices among students and families. Initiatives like this aim to build an early understanding of environmental responsibility.
The GFCM drew participants from Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, The Holy See, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the United States, and bilateral government development agencies such as Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The presence of international agencies such as the European Union (EU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) adds weight and seriousness to this collaborative effort.
This is an opportunity for stakeholders from around the world to unite in taking care of our planet. In implementing this call to action, GFCM participants committed to creating a more sustainable and green future for future generations. This is not just a statement, but a real commitment to act for the common good.
The Call to Action document in English can be downloaded via this link.
Reporter: Nabhan
