Jakarta – Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia held a focused discussion to promote the mainstreaming of Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in climate policies and actions at both national and international levels. The event, themed “Aligning the GEDSI Agenda, Energy Transition, and Indonesia’s Climate Policies in COP 30,” was organized in Jakarta on October 28, 2025, as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s role ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP) in Brazil.
Head of the Research and Advocacy Division at PWYP Indonesia, Mouna Wasef, explained that progress in mainstreaming GEDSI in the context of climate policies has so far been fluctuating and not fully integrated. Currently, PWYP Indonesia is conducting a gap analysis study between various policy frameworks, including the Gender Action Plan (GAP), the National Action Plan on Gender and Climate Change (RAN-GPI) 2024–2030, the Lima Work Programme on Gender (LWPG), and the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP). This study aims to identify gaps in the implementation of GEDSI in national policies and link them to relevant international commitments and programs. “Through this study, we want to see how far GEDSI integration has progressed, as well as find areas for improvement that can be strengthened ahead of COP 30. This discussion is an important part to enrich the study results and ensure that the recommendations we compile are relevant to the global context,” said Mouna.
The discussion featured various speakers, including the Director of Climate Change Adaptation at the Ministry of Environment/representative of Indonesia’s delegation to COP 30, Franky Zamzani, and the Secretary General of the Indonesian Women’s Coalition (KPI), Mikewati Vera Tangka. Franky emphasized that in international forums like COP, developing countries often have limited bargaining power. However, Indonesia has opportunities to strengthen its role by promoting fair, inclusive climate policies that favor vulnerable groups. According to him, the main strategy for ensuring climate justice is to involve various parties at all stages, from planning and implementation to monitoring. Planning documents must involve all stakeholders, from ministries and government agencies to civil society organizations and local communities.
Furthermore, Franky gave an example that Indonesia already has programs that reach the grassroots level, such as the Climate Village Program (Proklim), which is one strategy for community involvement in climate adaptation and mitigation actions. However, he acknowledged that the biggest challenge in mainstreaming GEDSI lies in data limitations and climate literacy disparities at the community level. “Improving climate literacy is key so that women and vulnerable groups can play a more significant role. There are still many groups that do not understand how they can contribute to adaptation or mitigation efforts against climate change,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mikewati emphasized the importance of amplifying the voices of women, indigenous peoples, and local communities in the COP 30 forum. She assessed that the energy transition agenda and climate policies must be developed with an inclusive approach, so that groups directly affected by the climate crisis are not marginalized in the decision-making process. “Climate change is often perceived as distant from women, even though its impacts are felt directly by them. Therefore, forums like COP 30 must be spaces where the voices of women and vulnerable groups are truly heard,” asserted Mike.
She also reminded us that gender issues are actually not new in COP forums. This issue gained strength at COP 26 in Glasgow, Scotland, but its escalation declined in subsequent meetings. According to her, the climate crisis is not merely an environmental issue, but also concerns economic patterns, production, and migration that have major impacts on women and vulnerable groups. Therefore, climate justice must be a real commitment in every country and at every policy level. “Climate change affects all groups without exception. Therefore, COP 30 must pay attention to diverse social involvement, not just based on technical analysis, but also by directly listening to the voices of groups that have long been marginalized,” she said.
PWYP Indonesia views that ahead of COP 30, Indonesia needs to bring community-based field facts to strengthen its national position in international negotiations. These facts must reflect the realities of the communities most affected by climate change, especially women, indigenous peoples, and local communities. In addition, access to inclusive climate funding that supports local economies also needs to be fought for so that the energy transition can proceed fairly for all parties. “COP 30 is a momentum to ensure that social justice becomes mainstream in global climate policies. We need to ensure that the voices of the most affected groups are no longer on the margins, but become part of decision-making,” concluded Mouna.
As a follow-up, PWYP Indonesia is preparing a number of recommendations based on the study results and focused group discussions with civil society organizations. These recommendations will be directed to strengthen the integration of GEDSI in national climate policies and support the implementation of RAN-GPI 2024-2030. This effort is expected to ensure that the principles of gender equality, social inclusion, and justice in the energy transition are truly applied in a real way at the policy, program, and climate action implementation levels.
Writer: Ariyansah NK
Reviewer: Mouna Wasef