A New Home for Rp 70m? It Might Be Within Reach for Indonesia's Poor

Jakarta Globe, Anita Rachman, March 19, 2012

Model units of the prefab homes that the Ministry of Public Housing
 envisions as an affordable plan to homeownership. Accounting for all
the costs  associated with them, setting up the houses would cost at least
Rp 70 million, with mortgage plans available. (JG Photo/ Afriadi Hikmal)  

       

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Shortly after he was appointed public housing minister in October, Djan Faridz was given a daunting challenge: build Rp 25 million ($2,750) houses for low-ranking civil servants on land provided by the local government.

“I was shocked,” he told the Jakarta Globe in a recent interview. “How can I build a house with only Rp 25 million? And I wanted it to have at least a 36-square-meter [floor area].”

But he soon found an answer in Palembang, South Sumatra. In a trip to the province, he met representatives of Grand Wijaya Persada, a construction company that has been building houses for even less than that amount.

A model cheap house

Inside the ministry compound in South Jakarta, a fully furnished, two-bedroom 45-square-meter model unit now stands.

The basic structure of the prefab house costs Rp 35 million, sans flooring, ceiling and paint, which runs an additional Rp 5 million.

Beside it, a model unit of the Rp 25 million, 36-square-meter version is being built. Visible for now is the steel mold where concrete would be poured into to create the basic structure. But it won’t remain like that for long, because the house can be finished in as little as seven days.

Anyone interested in looking at the model units is welcome at the ministry. Both units have a defined two-bedroom floor plan according to the prefab mold patented by Umar Sumadi, the production head at Grand Wijaya. A single mold can be used to construct as many as 200 houses.

The ministry has already signed a memorandum of understanding with several other ministries committing to help provide civil servants with these cheap houses.

Djan said the project would be done in 60 districts and municipalities across the country, starting off with East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and North Maluku.

The ministry is aiming to build around 7,900 cheap houses in NTT and 2,000 in North Maluku this year, among others.

Rp 70 million dream

The minister, however, is keen on finding a way to make the same cheap houses available to all Indonesians.

“Housing is a serious matter, after food and clothing. But many cannot afford it because it’s remarkably expensive,” Djan said.

According to his ministry’s data, as many as 4.8 million Indonesians today live in dilapidated houses, and more than 11 million people do not have their own homes. And with real estate prices expected to keep rising, chances are these figures will only climb higher.

That’s why the minister’s goal is to give Indonesians a chance to own a home for an affordable Rp 70 million.

Here’s how he sees it: in certain parts of Jakarta’s satellite cities, say Depok, people can still get a 60-square-meter plot of land for less than Rp 20 million.

If the Rp 25 million, 36-square-meter prefab model is built on that land, then for as little as Rp 70 million — including flooring, ceiling, paint, electricity and water installations and other fixtures — an Indonesian family can have a home it can call its own.

“Of course you can also get it elsewhere, anywhere you want,” the minister said. “So if you are outside Java, you can get a house for even less than Rp 70 million.”

Bringing it to the people

The idea is that the ministry will work with developers who can build subdivisions full of these prefab units.

For a housing project to be economically feasible, at least 200 units must be constructed to maximize the use of the mold. Grand Wijaya would earn a 5 percent licensing fee for each socialized housing project.

Indonesians can then buy the houses from these developers at prices determined together with the ministry. Of course, certain conditions, such as that the potential buyer does not own a house yet, have to be met.

The ministry will then help get bank housing loans. For a Rp 70 million house, Djan said the current computation would see a buyer pay Rp 575,000 a month for 15 years.

But it might still be a while before these become a reality, as the ministry hasn’t begun discussions with developers yet.

Real Estate Indonesia chair Setyo Maharso said delivering low-cost homes was not a problem, and the ministry’s plan could be executed in the same way as previous programs.

Doing it in Jakarta, though, would not be easy, he said.

“It’s even quite difficult to build it in Depok. Bogor or Bekasi are still possible, but not here in Jakarta,” he said.

Although he completely supports the policy, he said prefab units were not always ideal.

“Low-income families usually buy a small house, but when they have money, they will build more rooms. But prefab houses are not really flexible for modifications,” he said.

Priyo Suprobo, a structural engineer with the Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS), agreed. He said modifying a prefab structure would be difficult, and that the lack of flexibility was a major weakness.

Another is that people could not embed electrical wiring into the walls.

But Priyo still believes this kind of model can help low-income families solve their housing problems, “especially if the ministry provides a subsidy,” he said.

Will people buy?

Ridwan, a security guard in an office building in Kuningan, currently rents a house in Kedoya in Kebun Jeruk, West Jakarta, with his wife and child for Rp 350,000.

Hearing about the Rp 70 million house made him happy and hopeful. “I think it’s affordable, and 36 square meters looks decent enough,” he said.

On the other hand, Afrizal, a single 24-year-old noddle seller in Lenteng Agung, felt the Rp 575,000 amortization per month was still out of reach.

“It’s already hard to make ends meet,” he said.

Related Article:

Indonesian Dangdut King to Promote Cheap Government Housing

Australia supports RI focus on achieving MDGs

Antara News, Sat, February 4 2012 

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - With three years until the world needs to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Indonesian Government, with Australia`s support, is focused on progress throughout the archipelago.

Australian Embassy media release in its official website early this week said the Australian Government, through its aid program (AusAID), was strongly supporting Indonesia in achieving the MDGs by being Indonesia`s largest development partner.

As part of this commitment, AusAID is sponsoring the Indonesian Government`s MDG Awards, and participating in an exhibition showcasing MDG achievements at the Balai Kartini Convention Center, on January 31 and February 1, 2012.

The MDG Awards will recognize individuals and organizations making a substantial contribution towards achieving the MDGs. These awards will also inspire further action to tackle poverty and other development challenges in Indonesia.

"Indonesia is making substantial progress helping poor people improve their incomes and access food, ensuring children go to school, supporting women and making childbirth safer, but there`s still a lot more work that needs to be done," said the head of AusAID in Indonesia, Jacqui De Lacy.

"By recognizing those making a difference, we will encourage more Indonesians to accelerate efforts on achieving the MDGs including improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and ensuring environmental sustainability," added De Lacy.

The exhibition, which is open to the public, will promote the work of Indonesian Government departments, international development partners, members from the private sector and local and international NGOs.

The MDG Awards are hosted by the Office of the Special Envoy of the President for the MDGs and in cooperation with Metro TV.

Australia is allocating an estimated A$558.1 million in 2011-12 for its development program in Indonesia. Australian aid programs have already created over 330,000 new school places for students, trained over 5,000 health workers and connected nearly 350,000 people to water and sanitation networks.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Operations Begin for New Bali Plant To Purify Sewage Into Usable Water

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, August 11, 2011

Denpasar. Bali officially began operations at a water purification facility on Wednesday that turns treated sewage into clean, usable water.

“The Balinese people are worried about predictions that the island will suffer from a water crisis in 2015,” provincial regional secretary Made Jendra said at the plant’s opening. “This, at least, will be alleviated by the operation of this facility.”

Jendra said the treatment plant, which was a joint project of the central government, Denpasar administration, Badung district government and Japan International Cooperation Agency, would be able to produce 9,000 cubic meters of clean water every day, or more than 100 liters per second.

While that figure was far from the estimated 1,500 liters per second needed to avert a water crisis in 2015, he said clean water production would hopefully grow further with the completion of a sewage network project.

Goro Yasuda, director for overseas projects at Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism, said Bali would face a water crisis by 2015 because “the need for clean water vastly exceeds the capacity of the regional water company.”

Dewa Punia Asa, head of Bali’s public works office, said that so far only 8,647 households in Denpasar and Badung districts were linked to the first phase of the Denpasar Sewage Development Project. Those households are estimated to produce about 22,000 cubic meters of liquid waste a day.

A second phase, expected to be completed in 2014, is targeting 7,200 new connections, mostly hotels and restaurants in the tourist areas of Sanur, Kuta, Legian and Seminyak.

Tjok Bagus Budiana, who heads the province’s sewage management service, said the facility was designed to process as much as 51,000 cubic meters of liquid waste per day. It is built on a 17.5 hectare plot, 2.5 hectares of which is reserved for reservoirs to hold liquid waste.

He said households had to pay a monthly fee of Rp 15,000 to Rp 25,000 ($1.75 to $2.90) to be connected to the network. The fee, he added, would be higher for participating businesses.

ANTARA journalists join multimedia training in Netherlands

Antara News, Wed, June 22 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A number of ANTARA journalists will attend a multimedia journalism training in the Netherlands under the StuNed scholarship provided by the Nuffic-Neso and the Dutch government.

To mark the beginning of the training program, Indonesian Nuffice-Neso scholarship coordinator Indy Hartono handed the scholarships to the ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf here in Jakarta, Wednesday.

The training is scheduled to be held on June 27 - July 15, 2011 at the Radio Netherlands Training Center (RNTC), Hilversum, the Netherlands, aimed to increase ANTARA journalists` professional skills.

In the training, the participants would also have the chance to visit the Netherlands news agency Algemeen Nederlands Persbureu (ANP).

"RNTC is a training facility designed for journalists, the fourth opportunity for Indonesian journalists to participate in the event at RNTC with different topics according to the necessary needs," Indy said in her opening remarks.

Indy also said that StuNed supports journalists` capacity building to promote democracy.

"By studying at RNTC, the participants would not only learn theory but also to practice with proper equipment," Indy said.

The 16 participants in the three weeks training from from ANTARA News Agency are active journalists and one manager of ANTARA Journalism School (LPJA).

Besides the Jakarta based ANTARA journalists, there are also several those from bureaus attending this training such as from Pontianak, Makassar and Denpasar.

Upon their return from the Netherlands, they are expected to apply what they have gained there to develop antaranews.comportal, including the enrichment of content and sections within it.

In the long run, the knowledge gained will be disseminated through training courses organized by LPJA, particularly in the multimedia journalism field.

On that occasion, ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf welcomed the training as an endeavor to strengthen ANTARA as a multimedia news agency.

"Besides the training, it is also expected to reinforce the mindset that is needed to manage the current media, supported by the latest IT infrastructure, the discipline of media players, and network expanding" he said.

With the LPJA manager attending the training, it is also expected that the training methodology can be an additional reference for the management of multimedia journalism education in ANTARA.

ANTARA News Agency also thanked NESO for their cooperation and the scholarships, the program might be continued each year, and involve the PWI (Indonesia Press Association), Press Council and other journalist organizations, ANTARA is ready to help facilitate, Mukhlis said.

Nuffic Neso Indonesia is a non-profit organization officially designated and funded by the Dutch government to deal with various matters relating to the Dutch higher education.

StuNed, stands for Studeren in Nederland, or study in the Netherlands, is a scholarship program that is part of the development cooperation policy of the Dutch government which aims to support the achievement of the "UN Millennium Development Goals" in 2015.

Editor: Bambang

Govt earmarks Rp65.2 trillion for drinking water projects

Antara News, Fri, June 17 2011

The development of drinking water facilities must be able to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs) in 2015.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government is preparing Rp65.2 trillion for the development of drinking water facilities in cities and rural areas up to 2014, a vice presidential spokesman said.

(ANTARA/Iggoy el Fitra)

"The development of drinking water facilities must be able to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs) in 2015," Yopie Hidayat said here on Friday.

He said that people who on national scale would have access to drinking water would be about 68.87 percent, while at present only about 47.71 percent of the people already had access.

The presidential spokesman made the remarks after a meeting on public water facilities between Vice President Boediono and Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto here on Friday.

He said that the target of people to be covered by drinking water facilities in cities was set at 78.19 percent, while the present condition was still 49.82 percent.

In the meantime, the target in the rural areas in 2015 was set at 61.6 percent from the present condition of 45.72 percent.

He said that the total funds needed for the projects reached Rp65.2 trillion.

Editor: Ella Syafputri

Major firms launch initiative to fight malnutrition in kids

Rangga D. Fadillah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 06/14/2011

The Indonesian government welcomed on Monday a public private partnership (PPP) initiative to fight malnutrition in Indonesian children called Project Laser Beam (PLB), which is supported by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and several globally renowned enterprises.

The secretary of the Office of the Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister, Indroyono Soesilo, said the initiative was critical to help the country end child hunger and poverty, particularly in East Nusa Tenggara and Papua, two of the poorest provinces.

“The government of Indonesia is committed to lifting people out of poverty and giving every Indonesian child a healthy start in life. PLB will kick off very soon under the coordination of my office,” he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Jakarta.

He expressed his gratitude to Unilever, Kraft Foods, DSM and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) as well as to three local companies — PT Tiga Pilar Sejahtera, GarudaFood and Indofood – for their participation in PLB.

“PLB is a creative new pillar in the fight to end child malnutrition, which we believe will be a major contributor to attain the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs],” said Indroyono who is also a candidate for the Food and Agriculture Organization’s director general for the 2012-2015 period.

PLB is a five-year, US$50 million project that aims to eradicate child malnutrition. The initial focuses of the initiative will be Indonesia and Bangladesh where child malnutrition rates are unacceptably high.

In Indonesia, more than 37 percent of under fives go to bed hungry, while in Bangladesh, the rate reaches 48 percent.

Pradeep Pant, Asia Pacific president director of Kraft Foods, said his company contributed around $10 million to the initiative. He elaborated that PLB would cover programs, such as teaching locals about sustainable farming, assisting them to create micro enterprises and providing nutrition education to mothers and children.

“In my opinion, this initiative is likely to succeed because it has three required pillars, which are sustainability, big scale and conducted repeatedly,” he said.

Unilever chief executive officer Paul Polman argued that participating in the initiative was very important for his company’s business. Ending child malnutrition and preparing children to be healthier and more prosperous in the future would be a way for the company to expand its market.

“Our business won’t work if the market doesn’t work,” he said.

The continued commitment of Unilever, Kraft Foods and several new local and international partners demonstrated confidence that the world was on the right track in fighting hunger in a new and innovative way, said the director for public policy, communications and private partnerships of WFP, Nancy Roman.

“When the government and businesses work together, we can do more than what we can do individually,” she said.

Australian government supports clean water program

Antara News, Wed, February 23 2011

"This will help improve their health, quality of life and economic potential."

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australia government supported clean water access program for about 2,000 households in Serang, Banten.

(FOTO ANTARA/Sahrul Manda Tikupadang)

"More than 100,000 people in Serang now have easier and cheaper access to clean water. This will help improve their health, quality of life and economic potential," AusAID Infrastructure Counselor Ben Power said in a press release received here, Wednesday.

Serang is one of 35 Indonesian districts that have received grants to install new water connections. Australia is working closely with the Indonesian Government to administer this program.

"Australia is proud to be working with Indonesia to improve access to clean water and is committed to helping Indonesia reach its goal of halving the amount of people living without access to clean drinking water," said Power.

The grant is part of Australia`s 25 million Australian dollars commitment to Indonesia to increase piped water in poor urban communities, and to increase the number of households with sewerage connections.

This support will give about 60,000 households across Indonesia new connections to piped water and up to 10,000 household`s sewerage connections.

A further 400,000 Indonesians will have access to cleaner water and better sanitation as a result of the Grant Water program.

Furthermore several cities and districts in Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara and Sulawesi will also received benefit from this new water and sanitation initiative.

As well as this grant program, Australia is helping local governments manage community water supply and sanitation utilities to ensure the sustainability of this development.

Editor: Priyambodo

President suggests construction of millions cheapest houses

Antara News, Tue, February 22 2011

Bogor, W Java  (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has suggested the construction of million of very cheapest houses for the poorest and poor people in the country.

"We can build several million homes with the very cheapest prices within one year and will continue to do so," the president said in his closing address of government working meeting at Bogor Palace on Tuesday.

The head of state proposed that the prices of the cheapest houses would range from Rp5 million to Rp10 million per unit, because they were classified into temporary residence before the owners moved to a more permanent home.

President Yudhoyono`s suggestion would be a guideline which is to be discussed in the cabinet meetings.

According to the president, the funds for constructing the very cheapest houses could come from related state enterprises, corporate social responsibility funds, and those allocated from the government budget.

The construction of the most inexpensive houses is one of six new programs, proposed by the president.

The five other programs are related to cheapest transportation, cheapest clean water facility, cheapest electricity program, improvement of fishermen standard of living, and program to improve the lives of suburban community.

President Yudhoyono said the six new programs were the fourth group of pro-people programs.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Japan Offers “Green Funding” Worth US$50 Million

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 03 November, 2010 | 17:50 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is offering “green funding” for environmentally-friendly private-sector projects. JBIC will provide a total of US$50 million.

“We are still discussing the details with the Indonesian government,” JBIC Executive Director Fumio Hoshi told Tempo in Jakarta yesterday. Hoshi said JBIC is offering the program to many countries, including Indonesia.

The JBIC fund is aimed at developing green economic growth. As such, there are some requirements to obtain the funding. The green funding is different from that of REDD or the Oslo Moratorium, which is focused on carbon trading, although they share the same vision.

Japan is ready to disburse US$14 billion for the project worldwide. Japan will allocate the funds within the next three years. “Some projects began this year,” Hoshi said.

Arianto Patunru, the University of Indonesia’s Economic and Community Research Institute (LPEM) director, said JBIC will provide more funding for projects which focus on sustainable, low carbon emissions.

Green growth can be seen from the wide opportunities available for alternative energy projects, as well as in the lowering of energy subsidies and dependence on fossil fuel.

Senior economist and environmental activist Emil Salim said Indonesia has to face three challenges within the next few years and they can all be handled with green growth, namely climate change, biodiversity erosion and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

ANTON WILLIAM

Australia supports better urban sanitation in Indonesia

Antara News, Tuesday, October 26, 2010 11:04 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesians in 22 cities will soon have access to better sanitation facilities thanks to support from Australia that will help local governments improve their sanitation programs, according to a media release from the Australian Embassy here on Tuesday.

Heads of the 22 district governments gathered in Jakarta on Tuesday to sign agreements for grants provided by Australia totalling A$6 million. These grants will allow the governments to invest in urban wastewater sewerage and treatment; connections to sewerage systems; communal septic tanks; public toilets; solid waste collection services; and solid waste recycle and reuse facilities.

AusAID`s Infrastructure Counsellor, Ben Power, said the project rewards district governments that have demonstrated a strong commitment to better sanitation infrastructure.

"Helping Indonesia improve sanitation is a key priority for Australia,"Power said.

"We are proud to be involved in a project that focuses on poor urban households and that will lead to better health and safer environments."

Through the new agreements district governments will have access to grants from Australia ranging from IDR 500 million to IDR 4.8 billion. The size of the grant will be determined by how much the district governments allocate for sanitation in their 2010 budgets.

The 22 cities to receive grants are: Probolinggo, Jombang, Purworejo, Yogyakarta, Solok, Deli Serdang, Makassar, Banjarmasin, Malang, Tegal, Cimahi, Jambi, Banda Aceh, Medan, Bukit Tinggi, Pekanbaru, Pekalongan, Blitar, Batu, Ambon, Jayapura, and Denpasar.

Australia is committed to helping Indonesia make faster progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal to increase access to clean water and better sanitation.

Ministers’ wives launch village program

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Thu, 09/30/2010 10:09 AM

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and Cabinet ministers’ wives launched on Wednesday a program called Prosperous Village, which is aimed at empowering villagers with the help of university students.

The pilot project launched in Hargotirto village, Kulonprogo regency, is a joint undertaking between the Solidarity of Unity Cabinet Ministers’ Wives (SIKIB) and Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

“We hope the scheme can serve as an example for other villages in Indonesia,” UGM rector Sujarwadi said in a speech.

The project is a collboration between five major programs of SIKIB and the student-run UGM rural field work program.

Ani said the SIKIB had been developing five major programs aimed at improving health, creativity, education and social and environmental awareness among the less-privileged.

“The five programs are expected to help Indonesia meet its MDGs [Millienium Development Goals] targets. We try to do simple but concrete jobs,” she said, citing as example the SIKIB’s dispatching of a number of “smart cars” (mobile libraries) to several regions and the establishment of “smart houses” (small libraries) in others.

She said university students taking part in the implementation of the Prosperous Village scheme would also benefit from it because it would give them the opportunity to put what they learned at school into practice.

“And with their villages being developed, we hope the youths will stay there and support the development instead of leaving the villages to seek jobs in big cities,” Ani said.

Hargotirto, which is home to more 1,900 families, is located in rural Yogyakarta, about an hour drive from the provincial capital. Most of its population work as farmers arning on average US$2 a day.

The scheme has built the community center a “smart house”, which combines the functions of a library and an Internet cafe, and a small traffic education center where children can learn about road signs and rules.

Related Article:

First lady to inaugurate `prosperous village" in Yogyakarta

Indonesia to Pay Bills for All Citizens' Births

Jakarta Globe, Dessy Sagita | August 19, 2010

Jakarta. The government on Thursday announced a plan to provide free birth care to all, helping to prevent cases of mothers selling their babies to pay for the deliveries and hospitals holding the infants ransom until the medical bills are paid.

In the next year, the state will start a pilot program to pay for all births in community health centers (Puskesmas) and state hospitals nationwide.

Although the benefit is aimed at low-income mothers, even the wealthy qualify, so long as “they are willing to give birth to their babies in third-class wards in hospitals,” Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said.

But the scheme comes with a caveat, she said. After the project’s first year, free delivery benefits will be limited to a mother’s first two children.

“This is expected to boost our stagnant family planning program,” Endang said, adding that the country was at risk of a population explosion.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stressed on Monday that the latest census put the population at 237.6 million people, a 32.5 million increase in a decade.

The rapid rise showed that the nation’s family-planning program, remarkable for reining in a population boom during the three decades under President Suharto, was no longer effective, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi has said.

Health Ministry officials said the free delivery program was also expected to reduce the country’s extremely high maternal and infant mortality rates.

The latest maternal mortality figure for Indonesia is 228 deaths per 100,000 births, one of the highest in Southeast Asia, while 34 out of every 1,000 infants born die within their first year.

Budiharja, the Ministry of Health’s director general for community health and education, said the program should bring maternal deaths down to 102 per 100,000 births and reduce the infant mortality rate to 24 out of 1,000 births by 2015.

The progress would meet UN Millennium Development Goal targets.

“We hope that the number of births handled by the professional medical workers will increase to 100 percent,” Budiharja said.

A normal delivery at a Puskesmas or state hospital costs from Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000 ($34 to $56).

However, recent cases of women selling their newborns in order to pay for their medical bills have highlighted the fact that many low-income mothers still can’t afford deliveries.

Others who can’t afford care opt to give birth at home, contributing to the high mortality rate.

Budiharja said the free care was intended for all birth procedures, including those requiring Caesarian sections or postpartum complication treatments.

The government is developing Puskesmas capable of providing basic obstetric, neonatal and emergency services, Budihara said.

“Out of 7,000 Puskesmas in Indonesia, more than 2,500 of them have been able to provide those three services, but only 1,600 of them provide the services 24 hours,” he said adding that all regional hospitals in Indonesia were expected to be able to provide more comprehensive care.

The 2011 draft state budget revealed on Monday included Rp 26.2 trillion, an almost 26 percent increase, in funding for the Ministry of Health.

Additional reporting from Antara

Related Article:

Government to exempt the poor from baby delivery cost

Government, UN Unveils Partnership Framework

Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 10 August, 2010 | 20:49 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The National Development Planning Ministry has unveiled a cooperation system between Indonesia and the United Nations to promote development in Indonesia covering all plans up to the next four years which involve UN agencies.

Vice Development Planning Minister Lukita Dinarsyah said during the launch at his office today (10/8) the framework is related to the bid to push the government to meet the targets of Millenium Development Goals. "UNPDF is a operational plan which cooperation with UN agencies should be based on." Lukita said.

UN Resident Coordinator El-Mostaha Benlamih said in the same occasion that the main focus of the framework is to improve equality on access into resources, public services, and economic opportunities, and to promote effective participation, protection for the poor, and national and local resilience in dealing with climate change.

Through the framework the UN also aims to achieve effective financing by improve coordination between UN agencies

EVANA DEWI

Jakarta Globe Wins Major Asian Award for Journalism

Jakarta Globe | August 05, 2010

Jakarta. The Jakarta Globe on Wednesday night won another award for journalistic excellence, this one for a special supplement highlighting the many water problems facing the capital.

“Water Worries,” published in July 2009, picked up a bronze award for best news coverage (newspaper special section) at the Asia Media Awards, held in Kuala Lumpur. The awards are run by prestigious industry group the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The special supplement — containing stories written by Dewi Kurniawati, Globe contributing editor Joe Cochrane, investigative writers Hera Diani and Kafil Yamin and news reporter Putri Prameshwari — outlined Jakarta’s troubles in dealing with water-related issues, including ensuring steady supply, dealing with sewage and garbage cast into rivers and canals, and flooding caused by rainfall and coastal tides.

The award is the latest of more than a dozen reporting, photography and design accolades for the paper this year. At the Society of Publishers in Asia Awards for Editorial Excellence in June, “Water Worries” received another award for excellence in special coverage.

“All these recognitions serve to inspire the entire news organization to work harder at providing our readers with first-rate journalism, the kind of reporting that we hope makes a difference,” Globe deputy chief editor Bhimanto Suwastoyo said.

The gold in the Asian Media Awards special section category went to the United Arab Emirates newspaper Gulf News for coverage of boxer Manny Pacquiao.

WAN-IFRA is a worldwide organization that supports newspapers in pushing for the defence of press freedoms, high standards of journalism and best practices in publishing technology. The Asia Media Awards also recognize the region’s best newspaper and magazine front cover designs, photography and printing quality.

“Water Worries” is one in a series of four special reports on Jakarta’s social and infrastructure challenges that the Globe has published. The others cover preserving Kota Tua in North Jakarta, traffic woes and environmental sustainability. You can download them HERE.

Related Article:

MDGs can still be reached: Ministers

MDGs will only be partly achieved: VP

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 08/04/2010 9:21 AM

The UN-sponsored Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may fall short of expectations as developed countries are still struggling to recover from the 2009 financial crisis.

“Efforts to promote development have suffered in the wake of the crisis and commitments made by developed countries have been missed,” Indonesian Vice President Boediono told representatives of 30 Asian and Pacific countries, 20 observing countries and the UN, as well as international and regional organizations at a two-day special ministerial meeting for MDGs review in Asia and the Pacific, which began Tuesday.

For example, he said, developed countries managed to contribute only 0.31 percent of gross national product for official development assistance to developing countries — far below the target of 0.7 percent.

“The economic recovery has been uneven, with developed countries estimated to grow by 1 percent to 2 percent on average, while growth in most developing countries has returned to between 6 percent and 8 percent on average in 2010,” he said.

Boediono added that four main MDG challenges still remained that affected the Asia-Pacific region.

“First, extreme poverty is still prevalent, especially in Southeast Asia, with severe child malnutrition in South Asia and Southeast Asia,” he said.

Wide disparity in access to primary school enrollment still existed in the Pacific and the school dropout rate was still high in South Asia and Southeast Asia, Boediono said.

“Gender disparity in secondary and tertiary education remains widespread,” he said.

“Third, infant and child mortality remain high, as do maternal mortality and HIV infection rates.”

The last challenge was deforestation that continued at an alarming rate, while CO2 emissions remained high across the region, except for North Asia and Central Asia, he said.

Boediono said Indonesia had managed to cut in half the number of people living on less than a dollar a day and improve detection and treatment of tuberculosis through directly observed treatment short course.

“MDGs that will most likely be achieved by 2015 are to ensure all children will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling, eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and reduce the under-five mortality rate,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said, more hard work would be needed by 2015 to reduce maternal mortality rates, combat HIV/AIDS and increase the size of forested areas.

In response to Indonesia’s achievements and future goals, former UN special ambassador for MDGs in Asia and the Pacific Erna Witoelar said Indonesia should look to Malaysia and Thailand, which have both exceeded their MDGs years before the deadline.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, she said Malaysia and Thailand had set targets of zero poverty and universal school enrollment for children.

Thailand, she continued, had also exceeded its targets for maternal mortality rate.

Global anti-poverty agency ActionAid recommended that MDGs be legislated and implemented as human rights.

The UN General Assembly declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right in a resolution that more than 40 countries, including the US, did not support.

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Up to 31.2 million of Indonesian people classified as poor

OZ pledges cash for clean water access, sewerages

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 06/21/2010 10:04 AM

Australia plans to give A$25 million (US$21.7 million) to 29 local governments in Indonesia to increase access to clean water and expand household sewerage connections.

“The local governments are expected to provide a clean water supply service and good sanitation for their communities,” Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said recently.

The 29 regions include Palembang in South Sumatra, Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan, Banjarbaru in South Kalimantan, Pekalongan in Central Java, Bogor and Banjar in West Java and Malang in East Java.

Grants for sewerage connections will be provided for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, Surakarta in Central Java, Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, Jambi in Central Sumatra, Payakumbuh in West Sumatra, Blitar in East Java and Denpasar in Bali.

However, the funds will be made available only once the local governments have developed water pipe networks and sewerage systems.

“This disbursement is output based, and this is the first time we have ever used this kind of approach,” the minister said.

In this output-based system, recipients are required to have included clean water access and sanitation programs in their annual regional budgets.

The recipients can only get the allocated fund once they have proven that they have built pipe networks for clean water and a sewerage.

“For each of the household pipes installed, we will pay Rp 2 million [US$218],” the minister said. “And if they install more than 1,000 pipes, we will pay Rp 3 million [$328] for each additional pipe,” he added.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer said the grant was meant to improve Indonesians’ hygiene.

“The initiative will give about 480,000 Indonesians ready access to cleaner water and better sanitation, helping people to stay healthier and be more productive,” he said.

The Australian Government has provided a total of A$300 million (US$260 million) to improve clean water and sanitation programs in the Asia-Pacific region. (map)

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Banks pledge Rp 3.7 trillion for water projects

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 06/12/2010 11:34 AM

Three state-owned banks have signed a commitment to disburse a total of Rp 3.7 trillion (US$402 million) in credit to finance water distribution projects commissioned by the directorate general for urban development, Cipta Karya.

The banks are Bank BNI, Bank BRI and Bank Jabar Banten. In an agreement between parties signed on Friday, BNI will allocate Rp 1.8 trillion, BRI Rp 1.8 trillion and Jabar Banten Rp 100 billion.

“This is the first time that banks have given financial support to water companies. Usually, these companies rely heavily on the state budget or foreign loans,” Cipta Karya director general Budi Yuwono Prawirosudiorjo.

Budi said the funds would be channeled to water distribution companies owned by regional government (PDAM). He added that 75 companies had applied for the loan, 15 of which had received approval from the banks. There are 393 water companies in Indonesia.

“The water companies should have healthy financial performance or have to have restructured their debt,” he said, referring to the requirements for water companies to access the fund.

BNI business banking director Krisna Suparto said BNI was interested in offering credit to

water companies because the water industry had “a bright future, as do as other infrastructure

projects such as electricity or roads”.

He added that better management of water distribution was key to improving the lives of the

people. In Indonesia, about 70 million people have no access to clean drinking water.

He added that offering credit to water companies would boost BNI’s credit disbursement by 10 percent.

“We will offer a special rate for water companies, as the government will subsidize the rate by 5 percent,” he said, adding that the rate would follow the state bank’s rate and that the credit had a 10-year maturity period.

Bank Mandiri, Indonesia largest bank by assets, also plans to disburse credit worth Rp 1.8 trillion to water companies.

Budi said Indonesia required Rp 33 trillion in the next five years to construct water installations to provide clean drinking water.

“The government has allocated Rp 11.8 trillion from the budget. We still require about Rp 22 trillion and expect to source this from bank loans,” Budi said.

According to a Country Program report from UN Habitat 2008-2009, Indonesians’ access to clean water facilities remained relatively low.