Jakarta, 22 August 2025: ERIA welcomed 21 fellows of the 4th ASEAN Junior Fellowship Programme to its office in Jakarta. The visit formed part of the fellows’ 4-week programme, running until 30 August 2025.

ERIA’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr Takayuki Yamanaka, opened the session by expressing appreciation to the ASEAN Secretariat and programme organisers for their commitment to nurturing the next generation of ASEAN leaders. ‘This fellowship offers a unique platform for promising individuals from across the region to gain deeper insights into ASEAN’s work, build professional networks, and strengthen their ability to contribute to the region’s development,’ said Dr Yamanaka.

Following his remarks, Dr Yamanaka delivered a comprehensive presentation introducing ERIA’s mandate, activities, and contribution to regional co-operation and development.

The fellows were then introduced to ERIA’s Centres and Units:

• Ms Mahirah Mahusin, Manager for Digital Innovation and Sustainable Economy, presented the work of the ERIA Digital Innovation and Sustainable Economy Centre (E-DISC). She highlighted E-DISC’s role in advancing ASEAN’s digital transformation through digital trade, data governance, and entrepreneurship. Key initiatives included theOne ASEAN Start-up White Paper, the One ASEAN Start-up Award, and E-DISC’s role as knowledge partner in ASEAN’s Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) negotiations.
• Dr Nuki Agya Utama, Director of Energy Policy and Head of the Asia Zero Emission Center (AZEC), outlined ERIA’s efforts to accelerate regional decarbonisation. He introduced AZEC’s Decarbonisation Roadmap, which supports ASEAN Member States in developing tailored carbon neutrality strategies. Dr Nuki emphasised the need to optimise domestic and local energy resources, given ASEAN’s projected three- to four-fold rise in energy demand by 2050. He identified three core focus areas – power, mobility, and industry – alongside cross-sectoral priorities such as hydrogen and ammonia, biofuels and biomass, natural gas as a transitional fuel, and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). He also underlined the importance of transition finance and carbon markets in mobilising investments for the energy transition.
• Ms Putti Ananda Hiswi, Coordinating Officer of the ERIA School of Government, presented the School’s mission to establish a leading public policy platform in Southeast Asia. She outlined its four pillars: the ERIA Fellowship, ERIA Executive Training, the ERIA Leadership Forum/Dialogue, and the Southeast Asian Institutional Memory Project. She also highlighted the School’s recent event marking the 20th anniversary of the Aceh Peace Agreement, which brought together leaders such as former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Wali Nanggroe Aceh Teungku Malik Mahmud Al Haythar, and General Nipat Thonglek, Vice Minister at the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand.

The session concluded with a lively Q&A, where fellows raised questions on ASEAN’s energy transition, including ERIA’s role in supporting member states shifting from fossil fuels to renewables, the potential of electric vehicles and the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), and approaches to balancing economic growth with sustainability.

ERIA looks forward to continuing its collaboration with ASEAN and partners to support the capacity-building of future leaders across the region.