AS countries strive for a more sustainable future, issues of equity and development continue to demand action.
Making an impact beyond her role at the varsity, Assoc Prof Dr Helena Muhamad Varkkey (pic) from the Department of International and Strategic Studies at the Universiti Malaya (UM) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is driving change on the global stage.
As the Prince Claus Chair in Equity and Development at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, she has been focusing her research on transboundary haze governance in South-East Asia, an issue that continues to have significant environmental, economic and public health implications across the region.
“The haze is not a natural disaster. It is a failure of governance and diplomacy, and it is also a deeply human story.
“I hope to contribute to a better understanding of how environmental challenges intersect with questions of development, security and equity across borders,” she said in a June 24 press release.
On May 19, Helena delivered her inaugural lecture as Prince Claus chairholder at ISS, where she explored the politics and socioeconomics behind the elusive haze-free blue skies of South-East Asia.
Helena assumed the chair on Sept 1, 2025, and is serving a two-year term until Sept 1, 2027. She is the first Malaysian academic to be awarded the prestigious chair.
The Prince Claus chair recognises exceptionally promising academics from low- and middle-income countries whose work contributes significantly to research and education in equity and international development.
“I am especially honoured to join the distinguished group of researchers from the Global South who have held the Prince Claus Chair in Equity and Development,” she said.
In the role, Helena is also contributing to the Water, Securitisation Anxieties and Border Imaginaries project, an international research initiative that examines the lived experiences and perceptions of communities navigating securitised water borders in Sri Lanka, Central America, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Southern Caucasus and the Sulu Sea in the Philippines.
“As a South-East Asian researcher working on South-East Asian problems, I am pleased to contribute to the chair’s mission of developing and supporting knowledge from and for the Global South. This appointment provides an important opportunity to deepen conversations on environmental governance, equity and sustainable development in our region and beyond,” she said.
An associate professor of environmental politics at UM, Helena is an internationally recognised scholar in environmental governance, with particular expertise in transboundary haze governance and global palm oil politics in South-East Asia.
With nearly two decades of experience in qualitative research, she has conducted extensive fieldwork and stakeholder engagement, working closely with government agencies, industry players, civil society organisations and regional institutions.
Her research has fostered extensive networks across Asean and contributed to policy-relevant publications and initiatives addressing pressing environmental challenges.
