Clean Air Fund starts work in Indonesia, led by Fakri Karim

Clean Air Fund has officially started working in Indonesia, marking the first formal expansion of our programming into Southeast Asia. Our national grant making is being led by Fakri Karim, former Senior Advisor to the UN Capital Development Fund’s (UNCDF) Smart Green Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Cities programme.

Fakri Karim heads up our new Indonesia portfolio

Fakri has over 25 years of experience working in sustainable development in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Clean Air Fund, he initiated and later advised on the UNCDF’s programme to promote sustainable urbanisation in ASEAN cities by investing in green and smart solutions. Before that he led the start up and scale up of the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL), a UNCDF global facility supporting local governments in the global south to access climate finance for resilient investments.  

Air pollution is a major environmental and health crisis, causing millions of premature deaths and contributing to climate change. Cleaning our air is vital to creating a sustainable future. Joining the Clean Air Fund will allow me to directly contribute to solving this urgent problem and creating a healthier future for everyone.

Fakri Karim, Head of Indonesia Portfolio at Clean Air Fund

How we’re tackling air pollution in Indonesia  

Indonesia has one of the highest levels of air pollution in Southeast Asia. Residents are exposed to air pollution levels 3.8 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines. The country is the seventh largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Its pollution also contributes significantly to the transboundary haze affecting neighbouring countries.

Our grant making will build on our work in Southeast Asian cities. Jakarta, the capital city, is one of 14 cities in our Breathe Cities initiative, a partnership with C40 Cities and Bloomberg Philanthropies. A locally led approach will help us to accelerate change in a region bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.