ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA — The Climate Resilience and Innovation Forum (CRIF) 2025 commenced today at Park Hyatt Jakarta, uniting over 300 participants, primarily from cities and local governments across Indonesia, and internationally, with the presence of Asia-Pacific and European partners, to advance urban climate resilience.
Organised by the United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC), in collaboration with the Jakarta Special Capital Region and supported by the European Union, the Forum, themed “Empowering Cities and Local Governments for a Climate-Resilient Future”, underscores the critical role of local and regional leadership, as well as climate resilience. The forum also marked the completion of the EU funded project: Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities (CRIC).
Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General of UCLG ASPAC, opened the Forum with a compelling message it takes a community to mainstream climate action. This process begins with raising awareness of the crisis and enhancing the knowledge, insights, and confidence of pilot city stakeholders to plan and implement climate actions. However, creating sustainable climate actions requires even greater efforts through the establishment of global partnerships among sustainable cities, providing a wide range of support from technology to finance.
“With these efforts, cities are no longer mere bystanders—they are the first responders in the climate crisis. Through the Climate Resilience and Innovation Forum, we advocate for and empower local governments with the tools, knowledge, expertise, and partnerships they need to lead with climate ambition,” said Dr. Bernadia, May 21, 2025.
High-level remarks were also delivered by H.E. Mr Tito Karnavian, Minister of Home Affairs of Indonesia and keynote speeches by Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur.
A major milestone was the symbolic handover of ten Climate Action Plans (CAPs) to Bandar Lampung, Cirebon, Samarinda, Pekanbaru, Banjarmasin, Pangkalpinang, Gorontalo, Kupang, Mataram, and Ternate, who were part of the Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities (CRIC) project. These plans will serve as blueprints to help cities integrate inclusive climate strategies into their mid-term development plans.
UCLG ASPAC has also launched a CAP guideline, based on UCLG ASPAC’s experience and lessons learned in assisting over 20 local governments across the Asia Pacific region in preparing their CAP.
Another highlight was the awarding of Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) compliant badges to Southeast Asian cities for demonstrating tangible climate action progress, and the signing of decentralised cooperation agreements between several cities and institutions, including Samarinda-Hefei, UCLG ASPAC and Kuala Lumpur, UCLG ASPAC and National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG).
The opening concluded with the introduction of UCLG ASPAC’s forthcoming City and Local Government (CLG) Institute, which will serve as a centre for research, knowledge, and evidence-based policymaking, focusing on policy development, research, and knowledge management.
Over the following two days, CRIF 2025 will host high-level panels, interactive thematic sessions, a tree-planting activity and site visits to Jakarta’s Tebet Eco-Park and Banyumas’ solid waste management transformation facilities, offering scalable, community-based models of resilience.
As a flagship convening-not held annually but at pivotal moments for the region-CRIF 2025 sets the stage for actionable collaboration, renewed commitments, and alignment with the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, strategically positioning cities and local governments in crafting a sustainable, inclusive climate future. (AT Network)
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