Yogyakarta, September 3, 2025—As countries around the world navigate the challenge of fostering growth and addressing climate change, the governance of the mining sector will have profound implications for environmental sustainability, economic growth, and social justice. Addressing this issue, the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) of Gadjah Mada University (UGM), sponsored by the Academy of Medical Sciences, together with the University of Essex, as well as leading universities and institutes in Australia, South Africa, Kenya, and Europe, collaboratively hosted a networking conference titled “Climate Geopolitics and Sustainable Mining Governance” on September 3-4, 2025.
SDGs 13: Climate Action
The Creative Hub (CHub) of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM), organized a Knowledge Exchange Program titled “Tech for Earth: Sustainable Enterprises for the Future” on Friday, August 22. This online event was part of the CHub Batch 9 Talent Pitching series, which focuses on fostering social entrepreneurship in the context of sustainability challenges.
The webinar explored the theme of Future-Fit, an approach that emphasizes social justice, economic inclusion, and environmental restoration and protection as foundations for a sustainable future. Technology, in this discussion, was positioned not merely as a tool but as a key infrastructure that supports systems—accelerating innovation, expanding impact, and building adaptive and collaborative mechanisms aligned with sustainability principles.
In its development, Ecoxyztem has mapped out the main problems encountered when pioneering ecopreneurship. First, there is a methodological knowledge gap—a lack of in-depth understanding of information, particularly regarding business value mismatches, a lack of literacy regarding investment and equity, etc. Second, there is a lack of access to risk capital—start-ups need investor encouragement to accelerate their planned programs. Third, it is challenging to navigate market barriers. Many cases show that product makers cannot create products that meet market demand, making it difficult to penetrate the market.
Climate change is not a problem that centers on a single root cause. Collaboration and understanding are needed, as systems greatly influence their impact. Government policy is key to ensuring that this issue does not create deeper divisions between communities. Instead, good national policy in addressing climate change must be inclusive and equitable.
Patra added that, like it or not, many climate change challenges need to be prepared for. This is especially true as global support in the financial sector is beginning to shift towards this issue. However, climate action in Indonesia has grown organically within communities. This means that public awareness of climate change has already started to grow. The government must be able to formulate grassroots-based policies that can reach the smallest units of society.
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 Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) at Universitas Gadjah Mada has once again demonstrated its academic engagement on the global stage. One of its lecturers, Dr. Novi Kurnia from the Department of Communication Science, contributed as a key resource in the development of an online course entitled “Navigating Climate Information with Media and Information Literacy”, initiated by UNESCO in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP).
Yogyakarta, 14 August 2025 — The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) at Universitas Gadjah Mada hosted the welcoming ceremony for its new postgraduate students at the West Hall of FISIPOL. This year, the faculty admitted 313 students across 14 study programs, consisting of 251 master’s students and 62 doctoral students. Among them are two students from Timor Leste, whose presence enriches the diversity of perspectives within the academic community.
In his address, Dean of FISIPOL UGM, Dr. Wawan Mas’udi, emphasized the faculty’s strong commitment to building a robust and relevant research ecosystem. As part of this strategic direction, FISIPOL is advancing three flagship areas of study at the faculty level: Climate Change and Sustainability, Digital Transformation, and Social Inclusion. These three pillars serve as a foundation for responding to societal change, broadening perspectives, and making tangible contributions to the study of communities and global challenges.
Latest article from Megashift FISIPOL UGM
“Energy Transition from the Fields: Agrivoltaics Meets Agroforestry”
By: Fikri Danang Himawan
This article explores the concept of agrivoltaics — the integration of solar panels and agriculture on the same land — and how this system can be combined with agroforestry, a land management practice that integrates trees, food crops, and/or livestock. The combination of these two approaches offers a solution to address the challenges of renewable energy, food sustainability, land-use efficiency, and climate change adaptation.
The third edition of IIS UGM’s Monthly Review is here, bringing you fresh insights and the latest knowledge!
Featured articles in this issue include:
• When Vietnam’s Lotus Blooms in BRICS Water (Christopher Paller Gerale, Universitas Negeri Malang)
• The Structural Crisis Behind Bangladesh’s 2024 Student Protest (Allene Florence Fadhilah Darmawan, Department of International Relations UGM, 2023)
• The Making of Macan Asia in A Shifting Western Geopolitical Landscape (Aminah Rafa, Department of International Relations UGM)
• Indonesia’s Dilemma Between Nickel Extraction and Biosphere Preservation (Paramasatya Rakha Abiyoga, Department of International Relations UGM)
Latest Article on Megashift FISIPOL UGM
“Rethinking the Architecture of Climate Finance: How Political Discretion Undermines Global Commitments”
By: Meilisa Anggraeni
Megashift FISIPOL UGM has released another thought-provoking and timely article, this time spotlighting global climate finance, which is under immense pressure due to the shifting tides of international politics. In her piece, “Rethinking the Architecture of Climate Finance,” author Meilisa Anggraeni examines how climate funding pledges from developed nations often weaken — not because of technical or economic constraints, but due to the political choices of their leaders.