Cover Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar of Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY) says the climate crisis is not just an environmental issue; it’s a human rights crisis (Photo: Canva)
Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar of Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY) says the climate crisis is not just an environmental issue; it’s a human rights crisis (Photo: Canva)
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As programme director of Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY), Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar shares her journey from frustration to influence, and why climate justice must be fashioned with human rights at its core
Although climate activism often invokes imagery of protest signs and megaphones, Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar engages in the urgent work of environmental advocacy with undeniable grace and passion. As the programme director of Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY), Nadiah offers an enlightening perspective on the organisation’s work, highlighting the interconnected issues between climate policy, human rights and gender equity.
Officially registered as an organisation in 2020, KAMY emerged as a small, youth-led initiative out of profound frustration with Malaysia’s top-down approach to climate governance, which is “overwhelmingly technical” and “disconnected from those most affected,” leaving behind vulnerable communities on the frontlines. “The climate crisis is not just an environmental issue; it’s a human rights crisis,” Nadiah says. Seeing the experiences of women, Indigenous peoples and marginalised groups were missing from climate policies and decision-making spaces, KAMY set out to change that reality.
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“Over the years, we’ve grown into an organisation that is actively shaping national and international climate governance, pushing for Malaysia’s recognition of environmental rights, feminist climate justice and gender-responsive climate policies,” Nadiah shares.
“For me, co-founding KAMY was about creating a space for these voices to be heard, valued, and centred in climate governance as well as challenging the technocratic approach to climate policies that ignored human rights, gender and justice,” the self-described ecofeminist explains. Nadiah saw that it wasn’t just about policy change but building a movement that could shift power and narratives alongside bridging grassroots realities with national and international advocacy.
In a field often dominated by technical discourse, Nadiah remains dedicated to centring gender within climate action—a perspective she considers essential. “Women, particularly those from Indigenous and marginalised communities, face disproportionate burdens,” she says. “From managing household water and energy needs in worsening conditions to being excluded from land rights and decision-making, their knowledge, resilience and leadership in climate solutions are often overlooked or actively erased.”
Game-changing efforts
KAMY’s meticulous shadow reports to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) have yielded tangible results: Malaysia now officially recognises gender in climate governance within its human rights obligations. Yet Nadiah remains clear-eyed about the road ahead. “Policy recognition is just the beginning. We need gender-responsive implementation,” she says.
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To see progress, climate policies should actively integrate Indigenous women’s knowledge into conservation and climate action, as well as support community-led conservation over exclusionary models that criminalise Indigenous land defenders. Nadiah also points out the need for gender-inclusive green jobs, as “women should not be relegated to low-wage, precarious work while men dominate leadership roles in the low-carbon economy, including the renewable energy sector.” In essence, KAMY is working to challenge systemic inequalities and see that climate governance goes beyond technical solutions to address justice and human rights.
Above KAMY’s recent JET-BHR Report (Towards a Just Energy Transition with Business and Human Rights Principles) offers a sobering assessment of the renewable energy transition (Photo: KAMY)
KAMY’s recent JET-BHR Report (Towards a Just Energy Transition with Business and Human Rights Principles) offers a sobering assessment of the renewable energy transition (Photo: KAMY)
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The organisation’s recent JET-BHR Report (Towards a Just Energy Transition with Business and Human Rights Principles) for Peninsular Malaysia offers a sobering assessment of the renewable energy transition—a transition that, without proper safeguards, risks “reproducing the same inequalities entrenched in the fossil fuel economy.”
Key findings from the report highlight that a just and sustainable energy transition must uphold the Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), ensuring Indigenous and local communities are a part of land negotiations and renewable energy planning. Additionally, a gender-responsive approach is paramount, as women remain underrepresented in leadership and face systemic barriers to workforce participation. Corporate accountability remains a pressing issue, with profit-driven projects lacking due diligence and human rights protections. Moreover, labour rights and social protections must be reinforced, guaranteeing fair wages, safe conditions and equitable opportunities for women, migrant workers and Indigenous communities in the evolving low-carbon economy.
Shaping the climate dialogue
Recognising the media’s power to shape public discourse, KAMY launched Lensa Iklim. The climate journalism programme addresses what Nadiah identifies as “a lack of investigative, justice-oriented journalism” in Malaysia’s climate reporting.
“Too often, climate stories focus only on disasters and government press statements rather than examining systemic injustices, corporate responsibility or grassroots solutions,” she observes. The programme aims to equip journalists with the tools to uncover deeper narratives and highlight perspectives traditionally absent from mainstream coverage.
Lensa Iklim offers workshops and training sessions to equip journalists with knowledge on energy transition, corporate greenwashing and Indigenous land rights. Additionally, the initiative has established a digital resource hub with accessible research, data and case studies for enhanced reporting. Recognising the importance of mentorship and collaborative efforts, Lensa Iklim partners with journalists to develop impactful climate justice stories. “Some of these stories have been mentioned in Parliament and shortlisted as some of the best environmental stories in the region,” Nadiah says.
Safeguarding justice
KAMY’s advocacy extends to Malaysia’s Climate Change Bill (RUUPIN), having identified several critical gaps: limited parliamentary awareness, public exclusion from the drafting process and greenwashing risks. “The current framework lacks safeguards against corporate greenwashing, allowing businesses to position themselves as climate leaders without real accountability or commitments to just and equitable climate action,” Nadiah says. With characteristic thoroughness, the organisation has submitted detailed recommendations centred on women’s rights, children’s rights and procedural concerns relating to transparency and inclusive decision-making processes.
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When asked what advice she would offer aspiring climate advocates, Nadiah’s response reveals her compassion: “Climate action isn’t just about science—it’s about justice. Find your superpower, whether through policy, community organising, media or research. Your contribution matters.” She also urges aspiring advocates to stay grounded in the community, reminding them that the burden is not for any individual to bear alone, but that it should be a collective care effort and shared goals. “Be bold but strategic. The system will not change willingly, and you need to keep pushing. You don’t have to be perfect. You just need to keep showing up.”
At a time where the dialogue on environmental causes can often feel either technical or apocalyptic, Nadiah offers a third path of informed optimism and deliberate action. She represents a new archetype of influence—where power lies not in volume but in vision, not in simplification but in synthesis across complex systems. In Malaysia’s journey toward climate resilience, her efforts with KAMY are working hard to shape a sustainable future that ingrains justice in its design.
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