Dicky Sofjan
Associate Professor Dr. Dicky Sofjan of UGM’s Inter-Religious Studies (IRS) program recently attended the Summit on the “Sustainability of Hope: Envisioning a New Horizon for Planetary Flourishing” in Rome, Italy. Held on March 12-14, 2026, the Summit was hosted by the Notre Dame University’s Just Transformations in Sustainability (JST), which “advances a distinctive model of sustainability rooted in hope, justice, and community, and seeks to catalyze transformative change grounded in the best available science and foundational ideas of “Integral Ecology”.
The Summit was attended by more than 50 experts, scholars and specialists on sustainability from around the world and the Vatican, with most coming from different centers, institutes and faculties within University of Notre Dame, located in Indiana, the United States of America. Dr. Sofjan presented his ideas and insights in the panel entitled “Faith and Sustainability”, where he expounded on the “heartware of ecological sustainability” based primarily on a five-country collaborative research, which he had previously managed. Dr. Sofjan also explained the role of faith, religion and spirituality—more specifically Islam—, on the ecology and sustainability, with a special emphasis on sustainable financing. “While we tend to celebrate religion’s positive attitude toward ecological sustainability, we hardly consider the question of: whose funding it?” he said in his presentation.
Aside from Dr. Sofjan, other panelists included well renowned Professor Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker of Yale University and Pankaj Jain from Flame University in Maharashtra, India. The session was expertly moderated by Professor Dr. Scott Appleby, who was the former dean of Keough School of Global Affairs and former director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame, played the role as moderator of the Panel. The outcome of the Summit is expected to co-create follow-up activities and plans for joint research, publications and further engagement on the subject matter.
Participation of the IRS UGM’s academic community in international forums such as this Summit reflects not only individual scholarly engagement but also a broader recognition of the university’s expertise at the global level. Invitations to contribute to high-level discussions alongside leading scholars and institutions demonstrate growing international trust in the IRS UGM’s research and intellectual contributions. At the same time, such involvement creates valuable opportunities to strengthen academic networks, initiate collaborative research, and expand partnerships with universities, research centers, and global organizations. Through these engagements, scholars can further amplify their impact, contribute Indonesian perspectives (specifically in inter-religious issues) to global conversations, and foster meaningful international cooperation in addressing shared planetary challenges.