Think Climate Indonesia: Working to build strategic capacity for effective climate action
A growing number of Indonesian think tanks stand ready to contribute to climate action. But for these contributions to lead to effective, lasting change, they need the right kind of support to build their strategic capacity. That’s where Think Climate Indonesia comes in.
Developing a strategic approach
Working in partnership with the Oak Foundation, IDRC’s Think Climate Indonesia initiative supports Indonesia’s efforts to meet its climate commitments by helping local think tanks to produce policy-relevant research and influence large-scale change.
Think Climate Indonesia also contributes to IDRC’s broader mission — based on lessons learned from the former Think Tank Initiative — to expand targeted programming and research support to think tanks addressing regional development challenges.
Three broad objectives guide the partnership’s approach:
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increasing relevant data and generating evidence for policy needs that address emissions reduction in a cross-cutting way
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deepening research capacity and strengthening policy engagement so that think tanks can meet the demands for evidence and connect with appropriate actors
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Seeding change coalitions by creating networks of collaboration and building momentum towards the shared goal of addressing climate change
Meet the Indonesian think tanks
Think Climate Indonesia supports five independent organizations, selected through an open, competitive call, whose missions and mandates focus on using research to inform and influence development policy and practice. Each think tank is leading policy-relevant research in a unique area:
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Inobu examines sustainable agroforestry practices.
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WRI–Indonesia looks at the role of social forestry in food security.
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PATTIRO explores the implications of Indonesia’s Forest and Land Rehabilitation Program for climate mitigation and farmers’ local livelihoods.
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Kota Kita studies the climate “foodprint” in Indonesian cities.
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Kemitraan analyzes climate financing policy and governance at subnational scales with an emphasis on low-emission agriculture and food security.
The partnership builds capacity in Indonesian think tanks through a comprehensive range of support activities, including:
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selecting the right local partners through a rigorous institutional assessment process
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offering core funding and specialized supplemental support in ways that help strengthen research generation, policy engagement, and communication efforts
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helping think tanks manage their resources effectively and optimizing performance and impact by grounding their capacity-building efforts in clear, tailored, and achievable organizational strengthening objectives
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enabling think tanks to connect with relevant civil society, research, and policy stakeholders in other countries to facilitate learning and networking.
Supporting climate research
Across the Global South, climate pressures are forcing shifts in regional development needs and challenges. IDRC recognizes that the research, evidence, and nature of investments in knowledge systems must also shift.
As the separation between climate adaptation and climate mitigation becomes blurred and interest in supporting climate resilience and low-carbon development pathways increases, IDRC is engaged in internal discussions about how its climate programming should evolve over the medium-term. The experiences and insights gathered from the Think Climate Indonesia initiative will be relevant to this process and will inform thinking on the best practices for creating positive change.