Kowani stresses women's role in building environmental awareness

Indonesian Women’s Congress (Kowani) Chairwoman Nanie Hadi Tjahjanto stressed the importance of women’s involvement as agents of change to build environmental awareness, both at family and community levels.

Ahead of Kowani’s centenary, the organisation aims to strengthen Indonesian women’s commitment to taking part in protecting the earth. Women hold a strategic position, both in the family and society, to instil awareness and a culture of environmental care from an early age, Nanie Hadi Tjahjanto said during a national seminar for World Environment Day 2026 themed ‘Towards a Century of Kowani, One Commitment to the Earth: The Role of Indonesian Women for the Environment’ in Jakarta on Tuesday.

According to her, the commemoration of World Environment Day is not only a moment for reflection but also a call to take concrete steps in preserving nature. She said maintaining nature helps avoid various forms of environmental damage that can threaten people’s lives, noting that tree planting is an act of care that can be carried out together to protect the earth.

Indonesia possesses extraordinary natural wealth, she said, and this potential must be safeguarded and passed on to future generations through collective awareness among all elements of society. Women have a strategic position in building a culture of environmental care from an early age, especially through education within the family. As mothers of the nation, women are considered capable of being role models in instilling values of environmental stewardship in children.

Mothers of the nation must be gracious in educating, capable of being role models, and participate actively in preserving nature. Environmental education must start from the family so that it becomes a culture that is continuously passed down, she stated.

Nanie asserted that Kowani must be a pioneer in the movement to protect the earth, because environmental conservation is a long-term investment for the nation’s future. Kowani must be a pioneer in protecting the earth, because protecting the earth is synonymous with safeguarding the future of future generations. What we do today will determine the quality of life for generations to come, she said.

She added that current environmental issues require cross-sector collaboration involving government, academia, businesses, communities, civil society organisations, and all elements of the nation so that the resulting solutions can be implemented sustainably.