Grassroot Climate Diplomacy
The Contribution of Surabaya's Climate Village Program to Indonesia's Climate Foreign Policy
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the Kampung Iklim Program (ProKlim) in Surabaya as a form of grassroots climate diplomacy a conceptual framework that positions local communities as non-state actors in international climate governance. Although ProKlim has been extensively studied from the perspectives of environmental science and public administration, its role in shaping Indonesia’s climate foreign policy and contributing to Indonesia’s soft power has yet to be fully explored. This study addresses this gap by analyzing how grassroots initiatives, specifically in RW 03 Jambangan, which won the “ProKlim Lestari” award in 2021 function as Track III diplomacy, contribute to Indonesia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and project soft power in international forums. Surabaya’s outstanding performance evidenced by its designation as the “National Best City I” in 2026 with a score of 74.92 and its recognition as the recipient of the most ProKlim awards in Indonesia positions it as an extreme case for analyzing how the social capital of community cooperation, participatory planning, and multi-stakeholder collaboration transform local climate action into diplomatic bargaining power. Using a qualitative instrumental case study approach, this research integrates Track III Diplomacy theory and the framework of climate diplomacy, particularly grassroots climate diplomacy. The findings of this study indicate that ProKlim Surabaya represents a model of grassroots climate diplomacy, in which community resilience serves as both an adaptation strategy and a soft power instrument that strengthens Indonesia’s credibility in international climate negotiations. It is hoped that these findings will enrich the literature on non-state diplomacy in the Global South and provide policy recommendations for integrating community-based climate action into Indonesia’s foreign policy strategy.
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