July 17, 2025
Contributor: Supriyono | Editor: Dadi Darmadi | Photo: Sarah Permatasari & Alfi Fauzilah
Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) has officially launched the KOMITMEN program (Kerangka Ekonomi untuk Indonesia Tanggap Iklim Menuju Emisi Nol Bersih), an initiative that seeks to strengthen Indonesia’s macroeconomic and fiscal resilience in response to the climate crisis. The program is a collaborative effort between UIII’s Faculty of Economics and Business and Faculty of Social Sciences, with support from the climate philanthropy organization ViriyaENB.
The launch event, held at UIII’s Depok campus on July 16, 2025, gathered academics, policy experts, and climate advocates to discuss how Indonesia can address key policy, methodological, and coordination gaps in its response to climate change. KOMITMEN focuses on four strategic pillars: climate-responsive macro-fiscal frameworks, asset valuation methods for climate-impacted sectors, capacity building, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
“KOMITMEN is UIII’s academic response to the urgent national need for integrating climate risks into economic policymaking,” said Teguh Yudo Wicaksono, Program Lead for KOMITMEN. “This initiative doesn’t just offer theoretical insight—it is designed to produce practical instruments that will help policymakers address the energy transition and climate-related economic challenges.”
The need for such an initiative is clear. Reports from the IPCC and Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) warn of serious economic risks posed by climate change, from physical hazards like floods and droughts to transition risks stemming from policy shifts and technological change. Indonesia, as the world’s largest archipelagic country, faces a unique vulnerability to both.
In his keynote speech, UIII Rector Prof. Jamhari Makruf emphasized the university’s role in driving meaningful social change through education and research. “Higher education should not only help us understand the world as it is but also imagine and shape what it could become,” said Prof. Jamhari. “KOMITMEN responds directly to today’s economic and climate challenges. It is a bridge between knowledge and impact, and as Rector, I guarantee that this program will receive full institutional support.”
He added that KOMITMEN reflects UIII’s broader mission to serve as a national platform for innovation and sustainable development. “Our campus is not just a place of learning—it’s a meeting ground for ideas, research, and policy innovation,” he noted, inviting partners and the public to explore UIII’s growing role in environmental and economic transformation.
Suzanty Sitorus, Executive Director of ViriyaENB, expressed deep appreciation for the collaboration and highlighted the importance of shared intention and knowledge. “We’re living through major political, economic, and environmental shifts. The urgency is real,” she said. “KOMITMEN is not just a technical intervention—it’s a platform for building confidence among stakeholders to drive a just and inclusive net-zero transition.”
The launch also featured contributions from Dian Masyita, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business; Philips J. Vermonte, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; Rima Prama Artha and Sonny Mumbunan (UIII); as well as international experts Surabi Menon from ClimateWorks Foundation and UIII’s visiting professor Michiel Schaeffer from Climate Analytics.
KOMITMEN’s research office has been established on the UIII campus as a collaborative hub for researchers, visiting fellows, and policymakers. The initiative will also roll out a series of public dialogues, policy workshops, and training sessions in the months ahead.
Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia
