Erna Witoelar

Honorary President
, Eastern Regional Organization for Planning and Housing (EAROPH)
Profile / Bio: 

Erna is the former UN Special Ambassador for MDGs in the Asia Pacific (2003-2007); Indonesian Minister of Human Settlements and Regional Development (1999-2001), and President of the Consumers International (1991-1997). She was a member of the Commission on Developing Countries and Global Changes (1990-1992), Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor (2006-2009), Earth Charter Commission (1997-2014) and Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance (2014-2015).

Founder & leader of several CSOs from local to global levels like the Indonesian Environmental Forum (WALHI), Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia (KEMITRAAN), Foundation for Local Governance Innovation (YIPD), Asia Pacific Water Forum (APWF).

At present she is still on the Governing Board of the Indonesia Biodiversity Foundation (KEHATI); As co-chair of the Indonesian Philanthropy Association (FI), she also formed the Philanthropy & Business for SDGs cluster in Indonesia. In 2018 she co-founded a start-up company "Partnership. ID", which facilitates Sustainable Partnership & Collaborative Engagement.

She served at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (2009-2015) and Council member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment & Development (CCICED) based in Beijing (2012-2016).

She lived in Moscow (1993 -1997) during her husband’s term as Indonesia’s Ambassador to Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan & Turkmenistan, and has traveled extensively in the region.

Recipient of UNEP Global 500 Award in 1992, the Earth Day International Award at the UN in 1993, the Indonesian Presidential Medal for the Environment in 1995, etc. Graduated in Chemical Engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology in 1974, and completed the post-graduate study in Human Ecology from the University of Indonesia in 1993. Mostly working on particular issues of concern, like sustainable development, good governance, consumer protection, urban & rural development, social & legal, MDGs & SDGs.

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