The Department of Politics and Government (DPP), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Southeast Asia Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC), convened the Bulaksumur Roundtable Forum (BRF) 2025 under the theme “Promoting Environmental Democracy to Counter the Climate Crisis.” The event was held at UGM’s Gelanggang Inovasi & Kreativitas Building and livestreamed through the DPP UGM YouTube channel and Pares.id.
The forum opened with a keynote speech by Helen Fazey, the UK Ambassador to ASEAN, who highlighted the importance of environmental democracy as a foundation for global governance in addressing the climate crisis.
The program continued with two key sessions. The BRF Plenary Session, themed “Environmental Democracy Observatory as an Instrument to Drive Regional Cooperation in Addressing the Climate Crisis,” featured Indah Surya Wardhani (PolGov UGM), Lee Chean Chung (Vice President of SEAPAC & Member of the Malaysian Parliament), Dyah Paramitha (Centre for Regulation Policy and Governance/CRPG), and Erik van der Leen (UNODC Liaison to ASEAN). The discussion emphasized the role of an Environmental Democracy Observatory as a cross-border collaborative tool to promote more inclusive and equitable climate policies.
The second session, the BRF Clinic, explored “Implementing the Three Pillars of Environmental Democracy.” Speakers included Indah Surya Wardhani (EDO Research Co-lead), Rabi’ah Aminudin (EDO Country Assessor, Malaysia), Aye Lae Yin (EDO Country Assessor, Myanmar), and Daniel Kalangie (EDO Country Assessor, Singapore). This session unpacked the practical implementation of the three pillars of environmental democracy: access to information, public participation, and environmental justice.
Through BRF, DPP UGM and its international partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation in advancing environmental democracy and responding to the climate crisis—making a tangible contribution in the lead-up to the upcoming COP30.
Relevant SDGs
This initiative directly contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
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SDG 13 – Climate Action: by addressing strategies to counter the climate crisis.
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SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: by promoting governance that ensures access to justice, participation, and accountability in environmental decision-making.
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SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals: through fostering regional and cross-border collaboration among governments, parliaments, academia, and international organizations.
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SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities: by ensuring that climate governance includes vulnerable groups and promotes equitable access to environmental rights.