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The race toward net zero: ViriyaENB announces first round of partnerships
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iriyaENB, Indonesia’s first climate foundation dedicated to supporting the country on its path to net-zero emissions by midcentury, announced its first round of partnerships with an event held in Jakarta on Tuesday.
ViriyaENB, short for Yayasan Visi Indonesia Raya Emisi Nol Bersih, translates to the foundation that works for a vision of a great, net-zero emissions Indonesia. Derived from Sanskrit terms, Viriya means “determined effort” and ENB is the acronym for net zero emissions (NZE) in Bahasa Indonesia. Founded in 2022, the foundation is now leading the way toward a cleaner and more sustainable Indonesia as a strategic grant-maker.
“The decisions Indonesia makes in the coming years on climate, energy and economy will be felt across the country and the globe, possibly for generations,” said Suzanty Sitorus, executive director of ViriyaENB. “A prepared, thoughtful and equitable path to net zero needs to be built on a foundation of science and data, localized expertise and leadership, a spirit of learning by doing, and a deep commitment to justice and equity. ViriyaENB is excited to announce our first round of partnerships with some of Indonesia’s leading institutions to put these foundational principles into action. They truly set a high bar for our work going forward.”
ViriyaENB’s initial funders include Bloomberg Philanthropies, ClimateWorks Foundation, High Tide Foundation, IKEA Foundation and the Sequoia Climate Foundation. These funders are united in their support for a philanthropic platform that is locally led and governed, deeply in tune with Indonesia’s unique challenges and opportunities, and purpose-built to provide long-term support for Indonesia’s vibrant ecosystem of institutions and communities working to address the climate crisis.
“Indonesia is one of the world’s most vibrant and fastest-growing countries and also one of the most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. ViriyaENB is well positioned to support Indonesia in its effort to decarbonize its economy in a way that creates jobs, boosts local economies, and ensures affordable access to energy and other important services,” said Ilham Habibie, board of trustees at ViriyaENB.
Unwavering commitment
ViriyaENB was established to support experts, advocates, businesses and government leaders who are working to transform Indonesia’s climate ambition into policies and action, especially across high-emitting sectors including power, transportation, buildings and industry. The foundation understands that in order to achieve the net-zero target, the effort needs to be a collective effort of multiple stakeholders.
To showcase how its partners are putting this commitment into action, ViriyaENB held an event titled "Accelerating Action toward Equitable and Just Net-Zero Indonesia'' introducing the first round of initiatives it is supporting.
Attendees at the event were treated to welcome addresses by Suzanty Sitorus and Ilham A. Habibie, Executive Director and Deputy Chair of Trustees at ViriyaENB respectively, followed by remarks from Alue Dohong, Ph.D., Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry.
These remarks were followed by a dialogue on net-zero emissions action, with esteemed speakers including an official from the Ministry of Transportation, along with leaders from civil society partners.
Focus on Energy
While progress is greatly needed across all sectors, ViriyaENB’s early focus will be on the energy sector. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy sector emissions were around 600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2021, making the country the world's ninth-largest emitter for that year. As the country grows in population and energy demand, Indonesia may move up the ranks as one of the biggest polluters in the world.
In his remarks at Tuesday’s event, Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry Alue Dohong, Ph.D. stated “I think it is good that ViriyaENB is focusing on energy related sectors, especially transport, industry and power, where much more needs to be done on decarbonization. This is not only the job of government, it is everyone’s responsibility. I am happy to see that philanthropy and civil society are contributing to this effort and I see ViriyaENB as an important part of the non-government contribution to achieving Indonesia’s NDC.”
ViriyaENB is focusing its resources on energy sector transformation, subnational climate leadership, corporate and civil society action, as well as the economics and finance of a just transition. The foundation will also collaborate with the broader international climate community, with an emphasis on coordination and sharing lessons learned across the global south.
“Indonesia has continued to show leadership in the global net-zero, coal-to-clean-energy transition, taking significant steps to rein in its emissions in ways that will benefit the country’s economy and people,” said Ailun Yang, who leads global energy transition programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “ViriyaENB’s powerful commitment to strategic grantmaking, building an expert partner network, and advancing locally led solutions will further harness the impressive clean energy potential of one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.”
ViriyaENB’s approach to grant-making and advancing solutions will be designed around four key principles; first, supporting Indonesia on its path to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; second, ensuring work is based on data, technology and science; third, anchoring strategy in both local wisdom and international best practice; and fourth, creating positive outcomes such as climate resilience, economic progress, equity and environmental protection.
In its first round of grants, ViriyaENB is supporting seven grantees working on different elements of Indonesia’s energy transition. These early flagship projects include Muhammadiyah’s “A Thousand Lights'' initiative to deepen net-zero action throughout its partner institutions including schools, universities and hospitals; Green hydrogen for industry decarbonization initiative by the Center for Energy Studies, University of Gadjah Mada (UGM); the Decarbonization for Development Lab by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) focused on enhancing the state of research and exchange around key issues related to Indonesia’s net-zero transition; and Center for Climate and Sustainable Finance, University of Indonesia (UI) to bolster the capacity of regional development banks to support decarbonization of regional economies.
Additional first round project partners include the Institute for Transport and Development Policy to support a partnership with the Ministry of Transport to accelerate electrification of public transportation nationwide; a climate finance and economics program hosted by Climate Policy Initiative Indonesia and an initiative with SMERU Research Institute to strengthen the governance of subnational governments for the implementation of energy transition.
“We are impressed by the partner network that ViriyaENB has managed to build up in a short time and see this as a valuable basis for scaling up impactful climate work in Indonesia. Indonesia’s positive signals to take serious steps to mitigate climate change related risks comes at a critical time. By supporting local experts and climate leaders such as ViriyaENB, Indonesia is contributing to global goals of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as well as improving the health and livelihoods of people in Indonesia,” said Liz McKeon, Programmes Director - Planet at the IKEA Foundation.
