Today, the Indonesia-led Archipelagic and Island States Forum (AIS) has become the world’s fastest-growing climate and island-centric multilateral bloc. With some initiative, Australia could join the AIS Forum and project Canberra’s growing regional and global climate leadership through the Forum. 

Established in 2018, the Indonesia-led Archipelagic and Island States Forum (AIS) currently includes fifty-one archipelagic and island countries from around the world. For Indonesia, the world’s largest island country, the AIS Forum has become an important part of Jakarta’s international efforts to address the climate crisis. The AIS Forum is principally based on addressing the shared interests and common challenges of member states, such as climate change, ocean resources, ocean pollution, and sustainable economic growth. Since its formation, the Forum has also focused on four collaborative areas for member states including, climate change, the blue economy, marine plastic debris, and good maritime governance.

Australia could advance its national and foreign policy interests by joining the AIS Forum. Through the grouping, Australia could deepen its crucial climate partnership with its largest neighbour and exert Canberra’s climate diplomacy efforts. Canberra’s recent efforts to restore its climate leadership through multilateral bodies is an essential part of the Albanese Government’s foreign policy doctrine.

Indonesian leadership in the AIS

Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic state, has taken a leading role in the creation and everyday operations of the AIS Forum. Since its inception, the AIS Forum’s secretariat has been located in Jakarta, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Indonesia is a permanent partner to the grouping. Indonesia itself, is highly vulnerable to climate change, including extreme events like rising sea levels, floods, and droughts. For instance, rising sea levels have greatly contributed to the rapid sinking of Jakarta. This is subsequently the main cause for the relocation of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara in East Kalimantan next year. The Indonesian Government, subsequently, has committed to reaching a net-zero target in the country by 2060.

At the same time, the Indonesian Government has showcased its unwavering commitment to the success of the AIS project. Jakarta has already committed to providing US$5 million to the AIS Forum for the next three years (2022-25). This funding is likely to increase in the coming years. At last month’s summit in Bali, Indonesia and other AIS members agreed to transform the Forum into an international organisation. Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reaffirmed Jakarta’s commitment to the AIS cause, saying that “as a maritime nation, Indonesia will continue to be at the forefront in supporting the AIS Forum as an inclusive cooperation for archipelagic and island states.”

Australia’s island state and climate leadership credentials

Being an island continent, Australia is more than qualified to become a member of the AIS. For one, Australia is surrounded by water and its maritime borders are home to over eight thousand islands. In fact, almost 40 percent of Australia’s total coastline length comprises island coastlines. The country is also a leading member of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which is mostly made up of Pacific Island member states.

Of course, Australia too has been impacted by climate change in recent years. The country has been suffering from higher temperatures, more extreme fire seasons, and floods due to changes in the climate. The Albanese Government has tried to combat the growing climate crisis in Australia by developing a net zero 2050 plan and a new medium-term emissions reduction target for 2035. Canberra’s renewed commitment and leadership to tackling climate change was welcomed by Pacific Island leaders at last year’s PIF Leaders Forum. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has subsequently been at the forefront of leading Canberra’s international response to climate change through multilateral organisations.

Australia in the AIS Forum 

Climate diplomacy efforts in the Pacific and Southeast Asia are an integral part of Australian foreign policy today. At present, there are fifteen Pacific Island member states in the AIS, including New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. The Forum has already established a regional office representing the Pacific in Fiji. Last year, the Albanese Government formally reinstated an Australian Ambassador for climate change. The Ambassador plays a leading and pivotal role in global climate advocacy, including engaging with Australia’s Pacific and Southeast Asian neighbours. In Australia’s recent official development assistance (ODA) budget, Canberra committed AUD$900 million to the Pacific. A substantial amount of this funding is going to the region’s climate resilience and mitigation objectives. In the same budget, Australia also committed $470 million to Southeast Asia. As part of the assistance package, Canberra aims to bolster climate resilience and cooperation on energy in the region. Overall, Australia’s membership in AIS will boost its cooperation in tackling the climate crisis together with its Pacific and Southeast Asian neighbours. In the long term, this could ultimately strengthen regional resilience to climate change in Australia’s immediate region.

AIS membership could also help Canberra to positively project its recently revived climate leadership. Today, Australia is well on its way to becoming a renewable energy power. Since coming to power last year, the Albanese Government has pledged AUD$40 billion to supercharge Canberra’s transformation into a global renewable energy powerhouse. This includes a commitment of $2 billion to its Hydrogen Headstart program, a program that aims to make Australia a global leading hydrogen producer by fast-tracking Australian renewable hydrogen projects. Canberra currently has the largest pipeline of renewable hydrogen projects in the world. This will provide Australia with the experience and expertise to help AIS member states develop their own renewable hydrogen energy sectors.

Finally, AIS membership will enable the deepening of Australia’s cooperation with Indonesia in the essential area of climate change. During his address to the Australian parliament in 2020, Jokowi called on Canberra to work closely with Indonesia in addressing the climate crisis. In last year’s Joint Communique between the two nations, Canberra and Jakarta acknowledged that climate change stands as one of the most pressing issues in the Australia-Indonesia bilateral relationship. In the Joint Communique, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese affirmed Canberra’s commitment to a AUD$200 million Australia-Indonesia Climate and Infrastructure Partnership.

This year, Albanese announced a further AUD$50 million for an initiative under the Australia-Indonesia Climate and Infrastructure Partnership to attract climate investment and finance to Indonesia. The fund aims to increase the availability of clean energy technologies to Indonesia, helping Jakarta to protect and strengthen its climate and energy resilience capability. Ultimately, Australia’s AIS membership will likely be welcomed by Indonesia and it could be the catalyst for a special relationship in the Australia-Indonesia climate partnership. Moreover, Australia could further help Indonesia by playing a central role in shaping the Forum’s future direction.

Ridvan Kilic is a Master of International Relations student at La Trobe University. His research interests include the Australia-Indonesia bilateral relationship, Indonesian foreign, defence, and trade policy, and domestic affairs, ASEAN, the Quad, and the Indonesian diaspora community. Ridvan’s primary focus is Indonesia, Australia, ASEAN regionalism, and the Indo-Pacific.