Jakarta, 26 August 2026: The ERIA School of Government (So G) held its Fifth Public Seminar, featuring Dr Romora Edward Sitorus, an ERIA So G Fellow whose work explores pathways towards a just transition to a more sustainable and inclusive ASEAN.

Bringing together ERIA colleagues and external experts, the public seminar series aims to strengthen the quality of ERIA’s research and promote knowledge exchange amongst ERIA colleagues, partner institutions, and the broader research community. Through this series, the ERIA So G seeks to foster an inclusive scholarly community by encouraging its fellows to engage with partners and contribute policy-relevant research on regional challenges.

Professor Nobuhiro Aizawa, Dean of the ERIA So G, opened the event before Dr Sitorus delivered his presentation. He highlighted the growing importance of green skills in supporting a just transition, which he described as a social and economic concept aimed at ensuring that the benefits of economic transformation are shared fairly, particularly amongst workers.

Dr Sitorus noted that although ASEAN already has regional strategies on carbon neutrality and green jobs, a clearer direction is still needed on workforce reskilling and upskilling, particularly as around 60% of workers in the region remain in informal employment.

Drawing on policy reviews, national statistics, interviews, workshops, and an assessment of 11 lifelong learning programmes across the region, Dr Sitorus outlined several common innovations, including digital training platforms, skills forecasting systems, employer-funded training levies, and subsidised skills credits. Despite this progress, challenges remain, including occupational, spatial, and temporal skills mismatches.

Dr Sitorus emphasised lifelong learning as an important mechanism for maintaining employability and workforce adaptability. Case studies of upskilling programmes, including Skills Future in Singapore, Prakerja in Indonesia, and TESDA in the Philippines, demonstrated different approaches to strengthening training systems and preparing workers for emerging green sectors.

His recommendations included strengthening independent quality assurance, developing recognised and stackable credentials, improving government-supported access to training, increasing employer and worker participation in curriculum design, and bolstering skills data systems. Dr Sitorus concluded his presentation with the example of an Indonesian fisher who improved her productivity and income through repeated training while remaining in the same occupation. The example illustrated that a just transition does not necessarily require workers to change jobs. Instead, lifelong learning and continuous upskilling can help informal-sector workers adapt to economic transformation and ensure that they are not left behind in ASEAN’s transition towards a greener economy.

The presentation was followed by an engaging discussion on how ASEAN can strengthen regional co-operation on green skills and lifelong learning. Participants highlighted the importance of harmonising certification and qualifications across ASEAN Member States, improving labour market information, and ensuring that training programmes are demand-driven and responsive to employers’ needs.

Participants also raised the challenges of measuring training outcomes, financing lifelong learning programmes, and expanding access for informal, low-skilled, and marginalised workers through subsidies and digital delivery. Dr Sitorus further emphasised that ASEAN-level initiatives should complement rather than duplicate national programmes, while greater regional co-ordination could support skills recognition, worker mobility, and a more inclusive transition towards green jobs.

In addition to ERIA colleagues, the seminar was attended by representatives of the Permanent Mission of Brunei Darussalam to ASEAN, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to ASEAN, the Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to ASEAN, the ASEAN Foundation, the Asian Development Bank, Indonesia’s National Development Planning Ministry, Micro Save Consulting Southeast Asia, Katadata Green, DPN APINDO, Tifa Foundation, Indonesia’s Ministry of State Secretary, Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture, and KONEKSI.

With its Fifth Public Seminar, the ERIA So G concluded its Fellowship Programme 2025–2026. The School remains committed to contributing to public policy and promoting knowledge exchange in support of regional interests in Southeast Asia and East Asia.