Below is a speech from UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, at the Indonesia Net-Zero Summit in Jakarta on Saturday 26 July 2025.
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Colleagues and friends,
Allow me to begin by thanking our host, the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, for convening this important Summit at such a pivotal moment - not only for Indonesia, but for the world. It is a true honour to stand with you here today in Jakarta.
Indonesia is showing the world that climate ambition and economic development are not competing priorities.
They are not opposing paths.
They are two sides of the same coin - a single, unified strategy to deliver prosperity, resilience, and dignity for your people. For all people.
Yes, we meet today to discuss greenhouse gas emissions and clean energy targets.
But let me be clear: the real heart of climate action is not numbers. It is people.
You, me, our families.
Our communities.
The workers building your industries, the farmers tending your sawah, the ojek drivers navigating your cities, the entrepreneurs creating new businesses, and the children dreaming of a safer, better life.
And in this context, climate action is an opportunity.
Not the price of progress, but the path to progress.
That path is never straight: until now, fossil fuels still supply more than three-quarters of Indonesia's energy for power and transport.
This remains far from what the science tells us is needed for a 1.5-degree future.
But the next steps you take - to be charted by your next national climate plan - can be game-changing.
Done right and on time - with bold and ambitious commitments - your next NDC can become the blueprint for Indonesia's net-zero future:
A future for more than 270 million people where growth is green, development is inclusive, and prosperity is shared by all.
Where more investment, more jobs, and higher economic growth are unlocked and enjoyed at scale by all.
Accelerating Indonesia's just and clean energy transition will create huge numbers of new jobs, and attract billions of new investment.
And the vital signs are encouraging - in renewable energy alone, your capacity has surged by 40% since 2019 - with nearly 1,000 megawatts added in this year alone.
And you have the talent, here in this room.
You have the resources.
And you have the momentum.
Not only to lead in Southeast Asia - but to help shape the world's clean energy future.
This is not leadership newly found. It is leadership long demonstrated.
Since launching your national Emissions Trading System last year, you have once again shown your commitment to driving real change.
And as the new Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism comes online, I am confident that it will help Indonesia raise the ambition of your climate plans.
At UN Climate Change, we stand ready to support you in seizing this opportunity.
Because systems and credits matter - as part of a choice to seize a better future.
And in framing that future, I want to acknowledge the leadership of President Prabowo.
Indonesia's commitment to net-zero - and the President's bold call to go earlier - sends a powerful message to the world - the future will be built differently.
And his commitment is to vastly accelerate the build out of clean energy and to ensure that more of the profits of that transition remain here in Indonesia, can be a model for every emerging economy.
Seventy years ago, in Bandung, Indonesia helped pioneer a new approach to international cooperation, grounded in solidarity among developing nations, in their mutual self-interest.
I see a similar opportunity now.
I do not underestimate the challenge - but I'm excited by your leadership.
Indonesia's strengths are undeniable: your beautiful forests, your rich biodiversity, your powerful renewable energy, and most of all, your people.
Let us never forget: this is not just a transition away from emissions. It is a transformation towards hope.
This is the decisive decade.
Delay is not neutral.
Every year of hesitation increases risks to people, to ecosystems, and to economies.
The price of inaction is steep.
But every bold step forward brings the world closer to a future we can believe in.
Indonesia knows: no one country can solve the climate crisis alone.
The spirit of gotong-royong - that is what we need.
At UN Climate Change, we are your steadfast partners on this journey. I am ready. My team is ready.
Together, we are here to work alongside you - to design, to implement, and to deliver your vision of a sustainable, low-carbon, and prosperous Indonesia.
Because Indonesia's success will not just be a national triumph.
A proof that leadership matters. And an example that others can follow.
I thank you.
