Main Activities
IRE has already designed four major activities to achieve the abovementioned benevolent missions. Firstly, critical and participatory action researches concerning many phenomena of public powerlessness, especially for identifying and analysing the needs and problems of the people. The results of the researches are always formulated as capitals for action programs and transformation in communities.
Secondly, education and training that denote mode to gather and disseminate critical ideas and alternative discourses between the actors of state, political society, economic and civil society that are often unable to be facilitated by the existing institutions. Training and education are also as the media of assisting to enhance and improve the capacity of strategic actors such as local bureaucrats, politicians, professional groups, researchers, social activists, higher students, and etc. Thirdly, publication, it is as a means of articulating and socializing critical ideas derived from various thoughts and institutional activities. Bulletin “FLAMMA“, Journal “MANDATORY” and books are the forms and the outputs of the activities. Fourthly, advocacy, that is a joint movement (through policy analysis, dialogs and public hearing sessions) to reform public policies in state domain and culture engineering in civil society arena.
Target Groups
The main target groups of IRE’s activities are strategic actors at indigenous and local communities, ranging from village, sub-district, to district. In the local communities there are at least four elements that inter-act with each other: state, civil society, political and economic society. In accordance with organisational mandate, the target groups must be plural, corresponding to ethnic line, class, gender, religion, and profession. IRE facilitates dialogs among elements and among layers of society, merely for strategic efforts to bridge the existing gaps and concurrently to develop synergic relation among them.
Strategies
IRE always applies the following strategies in accomplishing activities of research, education and people empowerment:
1. Taking side; it means that the scientific studies conducted are not merely lean on objective principles and value free, rather they are based on inter-subjective ones and siding with, for the sake of public interests and social transformations.
2. Deconstruction; is as an effort to promote counter discourses against hegemonic ones, generated by the global regime, state, society and socio-cultural contexts.
3. Dissemination; the counter discourses conceived through the deconstruction process will be disseminated to public through making opinions, publications, seminars, discussions, trainings, etc.
4. Facilitation; meaning that IRE provides forums for dialogs of inter-segments, as well as encouraging people to establish and strengthen democratic local institutions.
5. Participation-intervention; that is a political education process applying combination of target groups’ participation and intellectual intervention. The participation aimed at discovering local knowledge, whereas intellectual intervention constitutes the form of knowledge and policy transfer to develop the collective awareness of the people.
6. Providing intensive technical assistance; namely the nature of knowledge transfer and expertise enhancement through trainings to increase and improve the capacity of local government officers.
7. Advocating; is in the form of joint-campaigns to influence the change of policies at the state, and to bring about culture engineering at socio-cultural domain.
Experiences in Implementing Programs and Projects
Initially IRE was as a study group, accordingly its activities were organizing regular critical discussions pertaining to social-political matters, studying new literatures of sociology and politics. The daily newspapers Kompas and Jawa Pos very much supported to the activities. Since 1997 to date, IRE has not been as a study group any more which is merely to bring about routine discussion sessions, however it has become self-help organization (or Non Governmental Organization/NGO) taking highly concern on developing democracy for the people.
The following are the excerpts of IRE’s experiences since mid 1997:
1) In 1997, IRE accomplished a program entitled “The Development of Plural Democratic Discourses among Young Community Leaders”, supported by the Pact Indonesia and US Agency for International Development (USAID). This program carried out a series of activities, ranging from a small research on discourse of democracy blooming among youths, organizing workshops, to publication (publishing bulletin FLAMMA). This program targeted various youth elements such as Karang Taruna (members of Neighbourhood Youth Associations), Remaja Masjid (members of Mosque Youth Organizations), higher student activists, NGO’s activists and journalists.
2) IRE, in October 1998-1999, was administering a program called “The Promotion of Political Safety Net”, also supported by the Pact Indonesia and USAID. This program, among other things, was scrutinizing the discourses bias of political reform developing in society, and in the same time promoting counter-parting ones. Like the previous program, it was initiated with a research on reform discourses, followed with holding a seminar on civil disobedience and constitutionalism, a workshop on civil rights, a dialogue with public policy makers, and publication on media.
3) Prior to 1999 general election, IRE organized a series program of voters education, financed by American Centre for International Labour Solidarity (ACILS) Indonesia. Following the implementation of this program, IRE began to enter into remote villages in Yogyakarta’s districts. There were at least 16 Villages becoming the target groups of the voters education. This program was in the form of media campaigns and a series of discussion.
4) Since February until the end of 1999, supported by Indonesian Rapid Response Initiatives (IRRI) Pact Indonesia, IRE was managing a series of JaringNet discussions, which talked about issues of political transition and reform, developing within society. JaringNet I and II were launched in urban community. Meanwhile the serial JaringNet III and IV were executed in remote villages, especially the six villages that had got involved in Voters Education program. The selected six villages were Tambakromo (Imogiri, Bantul), Wukirsari (Imogiri, Bantul), Kebonrejo (Temon, Kulon Progo), Janten (Temon, Kulon Progo), Sendangsari (Pajangan, Bantul), and Madurejo (Prambanan, Sleman). The discussions did not talk about national issues any longer, but local problems. This program became the starting point for IRE to expand the public sphere by forming alternative people forums. There were three villages of the six—Tambakromo, Wukirsari, and Janten—which showed significant progress in terms of people forums. Being supported by other programs that will be elaborated below, the people forums of the aforementioned three villages could prompt the establishment of transparent and accountable (in terms of public services) rural government, which also encouraged more concerns and participative communities. The three villages had established the practises of good governance, even before we introduced them with such concept. It’s only further strengthening process needed. Nevertheless, we felt that we did not succeed yet in expanding the people forums in the rest three villages—Sendangsari, Kebonrejo, and Madurejo. In Sendangsari, we could already have become a mediator in settling a conflict of water distribution among villagers, but the people forum had not established yet. While in Kebonrejo, the development of people forum found more difficulties because of severe public distrust over the village head and his apparatus. Whereas in Madurejo, people forum was also hard to expand due to the existing gap between the young and elder generations. The villagers of this village were busier with religious matters instead of social affairs. In this village, unfortunately, the village head was perceived to be week vis-à-vis his apparatus and rural elites, thus he tended to abandon whatever happened there.
5) Starting from September 1999-2000, IRE was carrying out a program entitled “Civic Education”, supported by ACILS Indonesia. Like voters education program, this program was holding a series of discussions on citizenship and democracy in some villages, which had been as partners all this times. While the target groups were the community groups at rural level.
6) In December 1999 as of June 2000, IRE was launching a program entitled “Civil Society Demilitarism”, still under the support of Pact Indonesia. This program aimed at disseminating discourses of militarism as a constraint of propagating democracy, and as well as opening people consciousness over the danger of militarism practices spreading in communities. Here, militarism was meant as “a preparation of war” conducted by the society, like being shown by the presence of military officers and militaristic practises of the civil society. We did the research in five villages (Tambakromo, Terban, Wukirsari, Sumberagung, and Janten). It turned out that militarism practises were acceptable by the communities, among other things, were to maintain the security and defence of the communities. Besides doing the research we also held a seminar session, workshops, and published bulletin “Flamma” and a book.
7) Supported by OTI-USAID, IRE was running a program entitled “Developing Demilitarisation Discourse at Local Level” in March to August 2000. Besides strengthening people forum in Janten, Tambakromo and Wukirsari, this program aimed at accentuating people autonomy in administering their own security and order without the intervention of local military—Polsek/Sub-district Police Institution, Koramil/Military Sub-district Command, Babinsa/Military officers attached to sub-districts or villages. Through holding public dialogues with sub-district, Polsek, Koramil, and Babinsa, people could express their desires on rural security and order, and as well as calling for the transparency and accountability of public services such as in applying SIM (driving licence), STNK (Vehicle registration document), KTP (identity card), birth certificate, land certificate and SKKB (statement of good conduct issued by the police).
8) December 2000 as of June 2001, IRE was conducting a program entitled “Developing the Control of Community over Military in Sub-District” supported by OTI-USAID. The program was held in sub-district of Umbulharjo (Yogyakarta), Purwodadi (Purworejo), Wedi (Klaten), and Madiun (Madiun). In addition to enhancing community control over Muspika (Sub-district Head, The head of Military Sub-district Command, and The Head of Sub-district Police Institution), the program was regarded as a milestone for IRE to start developing people forum at sub-district level. Hopefully, the sub-district in turn would be as the basis of growth, democracy, public services, and as the mediator between village and district quarter.
9) IRE in collaboration with Pact Indonesia was looking after a program entitled “Developing Democracy through Sustainability Community Discussion” in January up to December 2001. The program was involving 12 villages. The program tried to develop democratic culture and attitudes of the society in managing their own village’s life, as well as democratically solving local problems.
10) Since the beginning of 2001 until the end of 2002, IRE was handling a program entitled “Developing Good Governance in the Context of Village Autonomy”. The Ford Foundation supported and financed it. Here, IRE selected five targeted villages that were concurrently as a step to strengthen the impacts of preceding program, they were: Wukirsari (of Imogiri sub-district, Yogyakarta); Jenarwetan (Purwodadi), Grogol (Weru), Gadungan (Wedi), Duwet (Ngawen) of Central Java Province. Besides improving people forums, this program was also intended to gain some targets; firstly, to encourage the establishment of transparency, accountability and responsiveness of rural governance; secondly, to reinforce Village Board of Representatives (BPD) as a democratic institution at rural, especially their roles to control the executives, to work out participative planning, to master expertise of legal drafting, to be more responsive as representative board members, and so on; thirdly, to encourage the presence of competitive local market enabling to necessitate wider access for grassroots, to the end that rural small business practitioners could easily broader access to bank, information on production and marketing, trade centres, and better services of the government. In addition to, IRE also aimed at encouraging fund raising development at rural, by revitalizing village-owned venture body; fourthly, to promote more participative and dynamic civil society elements. Hopefully, it however would emerge dynamic civil engagement, public concern over local issues, their participation in administering village, and so forth.
11) In 2002 up to 2005, IRE supported by The European Commission was presiding over a program entitled “Empowering Adat (indigenous) People in Indonesia” at five provinces of Indonesia. They were Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sumatra, West Sumatera, and West Kalimantan. The program brought about: a) The increase and improvement of indigenous communities’ capability in reviving their traditional laws and traditions of practising democracy, which supported the process of institutionalization of civil society and human rights at local; b) The enhancement of capability of indigenous communities’ organisations in practising democratic leadership and better managerial practises; c) The reinforcement of their bargaining position in influencing political policies and local public services; d) The improvement of their self-reliance in the context of regional autonomy; e) The increase of their basis economy which was in turn to develop their well-being and socio-cultural activities; f) The identification of their empowerment model that could be used to develop other indigenous communities of other places.
12) Issues on the special status of Yogyakarta also became IRE’s concern. IRE took it in the name of IRE’s commitment for promoting the special status to not merely develop as elites’ concern, nonetheless to have contribution on the democracy and community justice. Therefore, IRE held a program entitled “Developing the Speciality of Yogyakarta in the Context of Decentralization and Democratization,”, supported financially by Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia (PGRI). This program resulted in an Academic Paper on Yogyakarta’s Speciality clearly demonstrating principles of democracy, pluralism, and public participation. In addition to, we also encourage the public participation over the enactment of the speciality formulation. It was being held in October – December 2003.
13) Still, supported by the Ford Foundation, in February 2003 up to April 2005, IRE was promoting democratic and accountable local government by implementing a program entitled “Developing Good Governance and Rural Autonomy” in district of Purworejo, Central Java Province. This program gave rise to: firstly, increasing and improving the advocating capacity of local NGOs partners in accentuating good governance and village autonomy; secondly, reinforcing the participation of local community in administering development and governance in their own community; thirdly, the establishment of network between villages and NGOs for struggling village autonomy before district quarter.
14) IRE in cooperation with Premier Oil held a training session called “Improving the Capacity of Administering Participative Rural Development toward Good Governance” in September 2005. The program involved village apparatus, the members of village board of representatives, and rural public figures of Palmatak sub-district, Natuna district, as the participants. The training aimed at enhancing communities’ participation in a bid to materialize rural good governance. This activity comprised in-class session and a comparative study to IRE’s laboratory village.
15) In June 2005-2007, IRE underpinned by The Ford Foundation was administering an advocacy research entitled “Initiative of Rural Industrialisation Governance Reform to Strengthen Rural Economy Basis for Village Autonomy”. The program was implemented in 6 districts of DIY Province (district of Gunungkidul, Sleman, Bantul, and Kulonprogo) and Central Java (district of Klaten and Kebumen). This activity generally aimed at encouraging rural eco-politic basis continuously by way of integrating governance reform and rural industrialization. Meanwhile the specific objectives were: a) Mapping and analyzing the process, problems, benefits and impacts of rural industrialization against the social, economic, and political lives of villagers; b) Prompting the governance reform of rural industrialisation for developing the new model of sustainable rural industrialisation; c) Preparing the condition of village socio-economy through discourse approach on industrialization based on local potencies in boosting the efforts of materializing public welfare; d) Establishing an agreement between society, government, and investors in expanding the principles of partnership and mutual benefiting in the process of rural industrialisation. The expected outcomes were; firstly, the presence of rural industrialization model, based on community economic development envisioning sustainability through governance reform approach; secondly, the dissemination of sustainable rural industrialization model to the policy makers of regional and national level, investors, CSOs, universities and common people; thirdly, improving the critical consciousness and capacity of society in a bid to gain bargaining position in the process of formulating regional industrial development policies.
16) IRE, supported by the TIFA Foundation, was conducting an advocacy research entitled “Initiative of Good Governance and Rural Development Reform” in seven districts of Indonesia, namely: Gunungkidul (DI Yogyakarta), East Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), East Sumba (East Nusa Tenggara), Sumenep (East Java), Konawe (Southeast Sulawesi), Kutai Taruma Negara (East Kalimantan), and Solok (West Sumatera) in July 2005 up to February 2006. The objectives of the research were: a) To promote a reform on rural government regulations and development policy in a bid to reinforce decentralization process and the welfare of rural communities; b) To encourage capacity enhancement in administering village government and development. Hopefully, this research could resulted in a policy review on development policy in Indonesia and alternative development management proposals on development management especially those implemented in rural domain.
17) In 2005-2006, IRE Yogyakarta was being trusted as a training facilitator team of Kaukus Parlemen Bersih (Clean Parliament Caucus) in Yogyakarta, held by a consortium of clean parliament caucus in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, consisting of S2 PLOD UGM, Rifka Annisa, Center for Policy Studies (CPS), and P.P. Aisiah. The activity involved provincial and district or municipality parliaments. Through the caucus, parliament members joining the caucus were being trained to ward off and stamp out corruption problems in line with their authority.
18) IRE backed by Legislative Secretariat of District Wonogiri was handling a training session for strengthening the capacity and expertise of legislative members of Commission A and B in Jayakarta hotel. The training was carried out parallel and concurrently in February 23-25, 2006.
19) In April up to July 2006, IRE was carrying out a research program on Pilkadal (directly regional head election) in Kulon Progo district. This research aimed at knowing the map of civil society potencies in making sure a participative Pilkadal and figuring out the form of civil society’s participation relating to voice, access, and control in the implementation of the Pilkadal.
20) IRE, in collaboration with National Democratic Institute in June 2006 as of March 2008, was administering a program entitled “Participatory Budgeting and Expenditure Tracking (PBET)”. This program was conducted in Bantul district (DI Yogyakarta province) and Kebumen district (Central Java province). The objectives of the program were: a) The establishment of active people group in Bantul, so-called REWANG and GAMPIL in Kebumen, b) The presence of budget literacy upon REWANG and GAMPIL, c) Making the civil society groups to know the prevailing system of planning and budgeting, to identify the possibility of distortions between steps, and to be able to mount strategy for involving and advocating the result of regional planning and budgeting.
21) In connection with natural disaster (earthquake) hitting Yogyakarta and part of Central Java (2006), IRE supported by IOM-USAID and OIM performed a program of strengthening the capacity of NGOs, CBOs and rural community in mitigation and dealing with the disaster. This program focused on: (a) earth-quake resistance house construction, (b) clean water and sanitation, (c) health services, and (d) nutrition and food security. It was held in July to September 2006, comprising of trainings, advocacies, live talk-shows aired by radio and television broadcasting stations, and publishing books and a documenter film as relevant outputs.
22) In September 8-12, 2006, it was for the second time IRE held a joint program with Premier Oil to undertake a training session and comparative study called “Prompting Rural Governance Based on Community Participation”. At the occasion, the training was dedicated to Tarempa sub-district, Natuna. The materials taught were concerning on how to enhance and encourage the rural economy management through ADD (Village Fund Allocations). Meanwhile Wiladeg village of Gunung Kidul district became the destination of the comparative study session.
23) IRE was leading a joint work with the Commission A of Wonogiri DPRD (regional legislative council) to compose an academic paper on Initiative of Raperda (draft regional regulation) concerning Village Heads Election in Wonogiri district in September-October 2006. It was as a response over the presence of Government Regulation No. 72/2005, which became the base and reference in regulating the villages.
24) In November 22-24, 2006, IRE in collaboration with the Secretariat of Wonogiri DPRD was organizing a training session on increasing and improving the capacity and expertise of all the legislative members in administering regional financial governance. This activity focused on elaborating the concepts and regulations of regional financial management (understanding the Government Regulation No. 58/2005 and Permendagri/Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs No. 13/2006), participative regional planning and budgeting, expertise in composing KUA (general policy for budget), PPAS (provisional budget ceiling priorities), and RKA-SKPD (work plan and budget for regional government units), legal drafting of regional budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation over the APBD (regional budget).
25) IRE in cooperation with AIPRD-LOGICA was doing a study on “The Position, Function, and Responsibility of Mukim and Gampong within Aceh Government in the District of Aceh Besar, Aceh Jaya, and Aceh Barat” in November 2006-2007. This study brought about the draft of road map on strengthening Mukim and Gampong administration, furthermore the outcome has been published as a book by IRE Press.
26) In November 2006-2009, IRE was organizing a program entitled “Simpul Democracy” in Tangerang district. It was a joint program with KID. Here, IRE prepared, created, and ran the school of democracy involving and teaching some civil society of Tangerang district. The objectives of this program were to encourare, develop, and reinforce a local democratic consolidation through “the door” of simpul democracy between civil society, political society, state and market. The target groups of this program were active young generations of NGOs, political parties, mass-media, universities, entrepreneurs, and even religious-based organizations and sectoral groups.
27) IRE, in collaboration with Pancasila Study Centre of Gadjahmada University, Indonesian Movement (PI), and Prakarsa Association, was administering a series of course entitled “Social Justice” that was dedicated for anyone getting interested in the social justice study. This short course was held in three terms in January as of October 2007. The main idea of this course was that social justice denoted a pivotal and urgent issue to address. Therefore the short course studied and elaborated various theories, practices, and the development of social justice in Indonesia and World nowadays.
28) In June 23-28, 2007, it was the third occasion, the Premier Oil trusted IRE to hold a training session and comparative study on the same theme, which involved rural government apparatuses from Natuna district, to be exact, from the sub-district of Jemaja and East Jamaja. However, for this session, the comparative study took IRE’s laboratory villages, the village of Jenar Wetan and Krebet, as the destination of the cross-visit.
29) Supported by DAI-USAID, IRE was handling a training session for CSOs of four districts of Aceh which denoted DAI’s target groups in Community Based Recovery Program. The materials presented in the training were pertaining to rural development planning, human resources and organizational management, leadership, and technique and strategy of fund raising for rural community’s organizations. It was implemented in July 8 to August 4, 2007.
30) Underpinned by International Rescue and Committee, IRE performed as both facilitator team and administrator of a program entitled “Study on Rural Autonomy and Financial Governance”, in September 2007. At the moment IRE facilitated a training and comparative study for Keuchik and Tuhapeut of Aceh Besar and Aceh Jaya districts, in a bid to make them understand and implement rural financial and governance in the context of rural autonomy.
31) In August 2007 as of August 2008, IRE in collaboration with Australia-Indonesia Partnership (AIP) was administering a program named “Revitalizing Craftswomen of Batik Cottage Industry in Bantul”. This program aimed at improving the craftswomen’s expertise in Wukirsari village, Imogiri whose ventures collapsed by earthquake. Furthermore, it was also intended to encourage marginalized women to improve their capacity in managing batik ventures, broadening their access and network, in enhancing their control over the technology of production and capital, and having skill of marketing their products.
32) Supported by Mobil Cepu Limited, in October 2007 up to August 2008, IRE was carrying out a program called “Training of Capacity Building on Village Institution and Providing Assistance for Cluster of Village Infrastructures Development Based on Community Participation” in Bojonegoro and Tuban. This program was part of CSR launched by MCL (ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia), consisting of two major activities: (1) Training for improving the capacity of village administration apparatuses, village institutions, and community noted figures in managing development, self-reliance, village finance, and entrepreneurship, involving 363 participants distributed in 12 training classes; (2) Organizing or providing assistance for 16 Clusters in 2 districts, in administering program of village infrastructures development associated with health, education and community economy development.
33) In July 2008, IRE in collaboration with AIPRD LOGICA, Mercy Corps and District Administration of Aceh Besar held a comparative study (or cross visits) on village financial governance and BUMDes management in district of Malang and Tuban East Java. The program aimed at providing knowledge on best practices on administering BUMDes in two districts of the East Java, so that it would give lessons learned in managing village finance and BUMDes development.
34) AIPRD LOGICA supported IRE to organize a joint program facilitating an internships program for local NGOs, LUGAS and CONVIS, in August 2008. IRE facilitated the participants to secure a deep understanding of issues on program management, regional planning and budgeting and gampong autonomy, be in terms of concepts and praxis through training, workshop, and comparative study by cross visiting national NGOs of IRE’s partners. The program aimed at making the local NGOs to be able to continue the empowering programs in the future.
35) In February as of September 2008, Democratic Reform Support Program (DRSP), was also supporting IRE to carry out a program on Public Consultation of Village Bill. It aimed at revising the Academic Paper on Draft Law of Village and formulating an alternative of Village Bill accommodating various inputs of many parties paying close concern on villages.
36) Baked by ExxonMobil, IRE was holding a program called “Training of Capacity Improvement on Addressing and Preventing Disaster” in Blora district (Central Java) and district of Bojonegoro and Tuban (East Java), in May until July 2008. It was in light of flash floods hitting Bojonegoro and Tuban regions. At that time, IRE was organizing a seminar on disaster management at district level and trainings on capacity improvement in coping with natural disasters for volunteers at village and sub-district level.
37) Still, in cooperation with Mobil Cepu Limited, IRE was organizing a program entitled “Assisting Semai Benih Bangsa Kindergarten School in Building Infrastructures and Equipments for Supporting Education Process” in Bojonegoro district. IRE was providing assistance for 16 Kindergarten Schools which had taken part in training on curriculum competency held by Indonesia Heritage Foundation to develop media (infrastructures and equipments) for education processes based on their needs.
38) In November 2008, IRE in collaboration with International Republican Institute (IRI) launched a program named “Improving the Political Communication of House Members, Political Parties and Constituents” in DIY. It was meant to map problems, formulate model and roadmap in improving political communication quality between the three quarters.
39) DRSP-USAID gave supports to IRE to conduct a program called “Public Consultation of Draft Village Law (RUU-Desa)”. It aimed at building rooms of participative dialogue for discussing the process and formulation of RUU-Desa, so that it would result in inputs to enrich the substance of RUU-Desa, which could encourage and strengthen the villages’ self-reliance.
40) Again, IRE financially backed by DRSP-USAID and Post Graduate Program of Local Politics and Autonomy (PLOD)-UGM, held a joint program on “CSOs Forum” in July 2008 – February 2009. This program aimed at: 1) Identifying problems related to the authority relation of province-district/city and the one of DPRD-Executives from CSOs and experts’ point of view. 2) Formulating potentials to develop the relation pattern of better and reasonable authority/sharing authority between province-district/city. 3) Setting up recommendations for arranging the authority of province-district/city as the inputs for revising the Law of Autonomy. 4) Building network for revising the Law of District Administration.
41) In collaboration with PLAN International and Gita Pertiwi, IRE was organizing a joint program entitled “Building Capacity for Developing Gampongs Oriented to Empowering Children” in July 2008 – January 2009. It aimed at enhancing the capacity of cadres bureaucrats, and civil society actors of gampongs, in a bid to develop gampongs oriented to empowering children.
42) Still, underpinned by Mercy Corps Banda Aceh, IRE conducted a program called “Training and Technical Assistance to Gampong Governing and Developing BUMGs” in February-May 2009. It aimed at encouraging gampong to establish and develop BUMG for facilitating, stimulating, and strengthening people’s economic ventures of production and services, so that it could improve the distributing function of gampong governments.
43) In February-August 2009, financially supported by International Relief Development (IRD), IRE Yogyakarta organized a joint program named “Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Papua”. It aimed at reviewing, mapping and evaluating upon various programs of peace building and conflict resolution that have been implemented, and also formulating a strategic agenda to optimize and improve the capacity of NGOs and local administrations in Papua, in dealing with conflict resolution and peace building.
44) Once more, the DRSP-USAID trusted IRE to execute a program entitled “Consolidation for Mapping Strategic Issues and Standing Position in the Academic Paper of Draft Village Law”, in May 2009-February 2010. This program aimed at building multi-stakeholder consolidation for creating a room of participative and productive dialogue in a bid to map strategic issues and standing position among varied academic papers of draft village law.
45) In December 2009-August 2010, supported by TIFA Foundation, IRE has been organizing a program called “Promoting Local Policy Reform for Planning Development and Pro-Village Budget Allocation in Efforts of Fulfilling the Basic Needs and Combating Poverty”. This program aims at promoting policy reform and local development governance (policies, delivery system, implementation, and evaluation), oriented to the programs of combating poverty and ADD (village fund allocation) with various program scheme of development in Gunungkidul district.
46) ACCESS and FPPD were supporting IRE in undertaking a program named “A Study on BUMDes (Village Owned Enterprises) as a Local Strength Underpinning Village Autonomy”, in January-March 2010. This study worked at two levels, namely village and district. At district this study made a review on policies (substance, implementation, and achievements resulted in) a long with district party. Meanwhile, at village it aimed at figuring out the map of local potencies and strengths as capital to develop BUMDes, including finding lessons learned from villages having BUMDes.
47) Financially backed by The Ford Foundation, IRE has been organizing a program called “Institutionalizing the Participation of Poor and Marginalized Groups in Public Decision Making to Promote Pro-Poor Resources Allocation in Health, Education and Land Access in Fifteen Districts/Cities”. This is a joint program between IRE Yogyakarta, FITRA, FPPM, Prakarsa and Initiative for January 2009-2011. This program aims at finding out any lesson learned and best practise in fulfilling poor people’s rights of health, education and other public services that are contextual to the needs of respective district/city. This research program denotes the part of cooperation between government, namely TKPK (Poverty Reduction Coordination Team) that is based in Ministery of welfare office, and BPN (National Land Body); NGOs such as ACE (Community Empowerment Association), KPA (Consorcium of Agratian Reform) and community groups (such as small farmers, labours, poor women, indigenous people, fishermen, etc.), selected from Kebumen district (Central Java), Gunungkidul district (DI Yogyakarta), Sukabumi and Bandung district (West Jawa), Jembrana district (Bali) and Makasar city (South Sulawesi).
48) In November 2009-October 2011 IRE has been holding a program on “Strengthening Local NGOs in Areas Where Mining Industries and Oil Exploration are Operating” supported by the United Nation Democracy Fund (UNDEF). This program encourages a partnership between local government, company, local NGOs to promote poverty reduction and women empowerment in regions where extractive industries are operating. It also strengthens the capacity of local NGOs as the agents of empowering communities to organize CSR and CD programs, in efforts of combating poverty and making sure gender equality. It is implemented in: 1) District of Blora, Tuban, Bojonegoro (Java); 2) Kutai Timur district; 3) Kutai Kartanegara; 4) Sumbawa Barat district; 5) Kepulauan Anambas district.
In addition to administering the abovementioned internal institutional activities, since ages ago IRE has established network with and actively participated in Forum for Developing Village Reform (FPPD), Forum for Developing Public Participation (FPPM) and alliance, and joint-works for the sake of promoting democracy enhancement, decentralization, civil society and village autonomy.
Due to the aforementioned experiences, so far IRE Yogyakarta has secured partners of rural and sub-district communities where IRE has incessantly been developing community forums, as a social capital for promoting good governance, village autonomy and democracy. IRE keeps on monitoring the aforementioned communities. Down to date, routinely IRE has established intensive communication and effectively facilitated them.
