INDONESIA
AT A GLANCE
Head of Government: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Next election: 2014
Capital: Jakarta
Population: 234 million (UN, 2008)
Independence: 1945 from the Netherlands
Human Development Index (HDI): 109th out of 179 countries
Gender Gap Index (GGI): 93rd out of 130 countries
Gross National Income (GNI) per capita: US$1,650
Strengthening Foreign Affairs Policy and International Relations
PHASE I
Status: Complete, 2008
Local Organization: Department of Foreign Affairs
Canadian Experts: William Cowie, James Gould and Cindy Hanson
Indonesia is currently pursuing a democratic and decentralized model of development. A key feature of this model is the empowerment of civil society to influence policy-making. Canadian experts William Cowie, James Gould and Cindy Hanson assisted the Government of Indonesia in building its capacity for sound policy analysis and development in the area of international relations, inclusive of civil society participation. This CIDA-funded Deployment for Democratic Development (DDD) initiative focused on strengthening the Department of Foreign Affairs’ capacity for collecting and analyzing data in more gender-sensitive ways; supporting civil society participation in policy making; and improving foreign policy formulation. In consultation with the Policy Analysis and Development Agency (BPPK), the Canadian experts also designed a suitable short-term staff training module and training of trainers program to ensure sustainability beyond the initial training.
PHASE II
Status: Operational
Local Organization: Department of Foreign Affairs
Canadian Experts: Naomi Alboim, David Elder and Gary Soroka
In contrast to the first phase of this initiative which assessed the need of the Department of Foreign Affairs for skills building in policy planning and development and created a short-term training program, the second phase of this initiative will ensure institutionalization and long term sustainability of earlier capacity building efforts. With the help of DDD Canadian experts Naomi Alboim, David Elder and Gary Soroka, this initiative will lead to strengthened governance and long-term socio-economic development in Indonesia by strengthening the policy planning and formulation of the Department of Foreign Affairs.