EDGE 2025 ANNUAL CONFERENCE: A JUST ENERGY TRANSITION STARTS WITH WORKERS — THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PHILANTHROPY
Abu Mufakhir, representative of Perkumpulan Sembada Bersama Indonesia, participated in the EDGE 2025 Annual Conference, held in Bogotá, Colombia, organized by EDGE Funders Alliance and the Forge Foundation. The event invited participants to reflect on the role of philanthropy in supporting systemic alternatives and emphasized the need for funders to be accountable to movement leaders fighting for justice, and to make a tangible commitment to systemic change.
The Democracy Work Fund contributed to the conference with a side event titled “A Just Energy Transition Starts with Workers: The Responsibility of Philanthropy”, featuring the participation of Mario Bernal from Fundación Avina.
Abu Mufakhir, representative of Perkumpulan Sembada Bersama Indonesia, participated in the EDGE 2025 Annual Conference, held from April 28 to 30 in Bogotá, Colombia. The event, organized by EDGE Funders Alliance and the Forge Foundation, brought together organizations, activists, and funders from around the world to reflect on the role of philanthropy in advancing systemic alternatives and transformative social movements.
The core theme of the conference centered on a critical analysis of how philanthropy can become an ally—rather than an obstacle—to social movements. In this context, a parallel workshop was held titled “A Just Energy Transition Starts with Workers: The Responsibility of Philanthropy,” where Abu Mufakhir was invited as a panelist to share the experiences of workers in Indonesia, particularly from the nickel mining and smelting sectors. Mario Bernal, Strategic Partnerships Advisor at Fundación Avina, also joined the panel, offering a civil society perspective.
“Those who suffer the most from the consequences of climate change and the impacts of the energy transition must be at the center of the movement for a just transition. Through our work with labor communities, we insist that workers must lead these processes,” said Mufakhir during his remarks.
In his intervention, the representative of Perkumpulan Sembada Bersama Indonesia also emphasized the need to build more equitable and transparent relationships between funders and grassroots organizations, stressing the importance of philanthropy listening to and aligning with the real struggles taking place in communities.
In addition to the panel workshop, Mufakhir had the opportunity to exchange experiences with labor organizations from the United States and other countries working on just transition initiatives. These connections will help explore future collaborations in defense of labor rights in the face of extractivist models and the climate crisis.
The insights and learnings from EDGE 2025 will be shared internally within the organization through team meetings, with the goal of strengthening collective work and replicating best practices. Additionally, training and dialogue sessions are planned for local communities, always guided by a worker-centered approach.
“It was inspiring to see how different movements from around the world are coming together to envision and demand more just and equitable futures. One phrase from the event really stayed with me: ‘Philanthropy must follow the leadership of those most affected,’” Mufakhir concluded.
The next steps will focus on continuing to promote greater worker representation in just transition policies by sharing these experiences and lessons with allied organizations through events and internal gatherings.
Perkumpulan Sembada Bersama Indonesia works with labor communities across Indonesia to promote labor rights, climate justice, and people-centered models for a just energy transition. They are part of the Democracy Work Fund initiative.