New leadership initiative carries on legacy of late Indonesian environmental activist

Indonesian environmental and Indigenous organizations, including Walhi and AMAN, launched the Yaya Leadership Initiative in Jakarta on Aug. 14, marking what would have been the 53rd birthday of activist Nur Hidayati, who died of cancer 648 days earlier. The initiative aims to develop new community leaders, particularly women, young people, and Indigenous peoples, built around principles Hidayati championed: solidarity, equality, environmentalism, and diversity.

Colleagues described Hidayati's leadership style as one focused on empowering others rather than accumulating personal power, citing her decision to take a campaign-department role at Walhi rather than pursue a more senior international post after leading Greenpeace Indonesia. She later became Walhi's executive director in 2017 and established a training center and gender policy there in 2019.

The launch coincides with a report from Satya Bumi and Protection International documenting 64 cases of threats and attacks against environmental defenders in Indonesia in 2025, affecting 259 individuals and 15 communities — nearly double the 33 cases recorded in 2024.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.