Inking Partnership with BAPPENAS, KSI, BaKTI to Establish Knowledge Center

UCLG ASPAC began its first partnership with National Development Planning Agency Indonesia (BAPPENAS), KSI (Knowledge Sector Initiative), and BaKTI (an NGO from Makassar) to establish the Knowledge Center for Indonesia.

A one-day workshop was held in Central Jakarta on 27 August 2015 by the four parties that aimed to design criteria on smart practices to be replicated and to formulate a survey instrument to measure smart practices on the ground.

The urgency of this workshop dates back in 2013, when the Indonesian government through BAPPENAS launched an initiative based on evidence knowledge under the spirit of GPEDC (Global Partnership for Effectiveness Development and Cooperation).

In response to the idea of knowledge sharing which would be implemented to developing countries across the globe, the presence of a Knowledge Center (KC) became urgent. To put this idea into force, BAPPENAS in cooperation with Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI) invited UCLG ASPAC and BaKTI to participate to make this pilot project happen.

The workshop was a response to link that partnership.  The Secretary General in her message stated that “UCLG ASPAC’s experience in replicating best practices will be an asset for this project. Therefore we must see that this project will certainly bring big impact to the people as we address their local needs.”

In addition to messages from the keynote speakers from BAPPENAS, Knowldge Sector Initiative (KSI), UCLG ASPAC and BaKTI, the workshop also became a forum for individual pioneers from different areas across Indonesia to share their smart practices.

Speaking on this forged relationship between BAPPENAS and Knowledge Sector Initiative and their partners namely BaKTI and UCLG ASPAC, Victoria Ngantung from BaKTI said that “A knowledge hub would be established by BAPPENAS in its effort to disseminate evidence-based knowledge on best practices to developing countries. We were encouraged to participate in this formation of this knowledge-hub.”

“We are enthusiastic to boost the spirit of disseminating evidence-based knowledge on best practices from a certain area to other areas,” she added.

Ferry Anggoro from Knowledge Sector Initiative’s Government Relation said that this knowledge center should be based on evidence on the ground. This is why the partnership is a good model to absorb best practices on the ground which later on could be replicated in other areas.

He expected that UCLG ASPAC’s commitment on promoting good governance would be a great help to establish a knowledge center in BAPPENAS.

The same expectation was also said by Sharief Natanegara, KSI’s manager. “This cooperation was expected to generate criteria and survey instrument to measure best practices exercised by individuals as well as local governments,” he said.

BAPPENAS, explained Tubagus Achmad Chusni, considered that the presence of a knowledge center in BAPPENAS was urgent. In Indonesia, explained BAPPENAS’ International Cooperation Desk Chief, there are at least 600 local governments across this archipelagic nation.

“There are also lots of best practices initiated by individuals as well as local governments which can be applicable to be implemented in other areas. BAPPENAS is motivated to identify these local best practices and formulate criteria so that knowledge sharing can be implemented,” he added.

“Our concern is that these best practices could be adapted by localities so that it is best fit,” he concluded.

When this concern was shared in a forum, BAPPENAS and Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI)  finally finds that UCLG ASPAC and BaKTI could be partners in executing this mission.

“We need UCLG ASPAC’s expertise and networking among local governments in Indonesia to perform capacity building of local officials so that best practices from other districts could be best fit. At the same time, we also need help from BaKTI to promote this program to a broader audience in the eastern districts of Indonesia,” he concluded. (MH)