Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) has long been committed to international education, community engagement, and sustainable development, with particular attention to climate and health resilience across the Asia-Pacific region. On August 27, CYCU’s AWARE Early Warning System and Climate-Health Education in Indonesia project received the Bronze Award in the SDG 13: Climate Action category at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Sustainability Action Awards (APSAA). The recognition highlights CYCU’s capacity to integrate academic research, international collaboration, and community-based practice to create meaningful and sustainable impact.
Organized by the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), the Asia-Pacific Sustainability Action Awards recognize outstanding sustainability initiatives undertaken by businesses, universities, hospitals, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations across the Asia-Pacific region in support of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among all award recipients in the SDG 13: Climate Action category this year, only two were universities, with CYCU being one of them. The award ceremony was held at Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1, where Dr. Chih-Chang Yu, Director of the Institutional Research and Evaluation Center under CYCU’s Office of Sustainability, accepted the award on behalf of the University.
Professor Yu-Chun Wang, principal investigator of the AWARE project, Professor in CYCU’s Department of Environmental Engineering, and Dean of the Office of Sustainability, explained that AWARE—Awareness Against Health Threats of Climate Change—is an international collaborative initiative focusing on the health risks associated with climate change. It also represents one of CYCU’s key interdisciplinary efforts connecting climate change research with public health practice. She noted that receiving the Asia-Pacific Sustainability Action Award not only recognizes the team’s longstanding engagement in East Java, Indonesia, but also affirms the joint efforts of CYCU and its international partners to develop a climate-health early warning system.
Professor Wang further explained that CYCU has participated in the AWARE project since 2023 with support from Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) through the Belmont Forum. The project focuses on communities in Surabaya, Malang, and Lamongan in East Java, addressing the growing risk of diarrheal diseases associated with climate change through education and early-warning initiatives. The team has worked with five universities, two elementary schools, one high school, and four women’s community groups. Through lectures, workshops, and interactive learning activities, the project has reached more than 700 participants of different age groups, helping them understand the health impacts of climate change and practical approaches to adaptation.
“Every community lecture and every international collaboration represents a concrete step toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Professor Wang emphasized.
Recognizing that women in some rural communities have limited access to climate and sanitation education, the project invited local speakers to deliver sessions in Javanese and incorporated practical activities relevant to everyday life, including the preparation of oral rehydration solution (ORS) and plastic-reduction practices. These approaches helped strengthen community participation and understanding.
The project has also brought together resources from government agencies, academia, businesses, and nongovernmental organizations. Partners include provincial health authorities in Indonesia, NGOs such as Yayasan Bina Bhakti Lingkungan (YBBL) and Gugah Nurani Indonesia, as well as private-sector organizations including PT. Kencana Maju Bersama. Memoranda of understanding have been established to clarify responsibilities among partners and strengthen the long-term sustainability of the initiative.
To extend climate-health knowledge to a wider audience, the AWARE team collaborated with Surabaya-based television station JTV to produce the talk show “Health Risks under Climate Change in Indonesia.” Featuring academics, experts, and community representatives, the program was also made available on YouTube, enabling climate adaptation knowledge to reach a broader audience throughout Indonesia.
The project also incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) into the analysis of climate-health prediction data to improve the accuracy of its early warning system. In addition, digital questionnaires are administered before and after educational activities to measure learning outcomes through data-driven assessment, providing evidence for the continued refinement and improvement of the program.
CYCU stated that the award reflects the University’s longstanding commitment to international education, community service, and climate-health initiatives, while demonstrating the social responsibility of universities to apply professional knowledge in addressing global challenges. Moving forward, CYCU will continue to deepen its partnerships with local organizations in Indonesia, expand the application of climate-health early warning systems, and cultivate sustainability-minded professionals equipped with global perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility, contributing to greater climate resilience and improved public health across the Asia-Pacific region.
