In a release from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs received on Sunday (19/11/2023), they called for several actions. These include implementing faith-based environmentally friendly practices and implementing energy-saving and sustainable technology. In addition, they called for the integration of sustainable funding mechanisms and strengthening collaboration between all parties on various climate change initiatives.
The delegates came from 13 countries, including Australia, Japan, Kenya, Morocco, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, the United States, and the Vatican. There are also representatives of international organizations, such as UNDP, UNESCAP, and the European Union. The forum was held by an Indonesian Islamic organization Muhammadiyah and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chairman of the Central Leadership of Muhammadiyah for International Relations and Cooperation, Syafiq A. Mughni, said that this forum provided inspiration for taking action. According to him, the forum constructing a movement to save planet Earth from damage. He also said that culture, innovation, and green collaboration were the three main topics at this forum.
The Director General for America and Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Umar Hadi, underlined the urgency of real, sustainable action to tackle climate challenges. One of them is the inauguration of the Muhammadiyah Climate Center on the first day of the forum and Indonesia's contribution to reducing the rate of deforestation. Umar also emphasized the importance of each country playing a role according to its capacity, and the need for an all-party approach.
"We at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs see that Muhammadiyah has enormous intellectual resources. Imagine, of the 172 universities, at UAD (University of Ahmad Dahlan) alone, so many graduates and intellectuals are there. If some are willing to devote their attention to overcoming this problem, we can adapt to overcome the problems caused by climate change," said Umar according to the release.
Meanwhile, Susanti Sitorus from the Viriya Energi ENB Foundation expressed her support for the joint action. Susanti encourages Indonesia to achieve net zero emissions, through community groups, the government, and the business players. She hopes that with the forum, Muhammadiyah will inspire people with different beliefs to make changes in their communities.
"The central role of Muhammadiyah as (one of) the oldest mass organizations in Indonesia is to have the intellectual capacity and the role to create action, which we really need," she said.
