Screenshot of Indonesia Civil Society Forum 2021
The first ICSF was held in 2018 in Jakarta and was also organized by USAID in collaboration with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. Hundred participants engaged in discussions focusing on the capacity needs and sustainability of Indonesian CSOs. Two points of consensus emerged. The first was that civil society can contribute more to government accountability and communal tolerance. The second was that there are still significant capacity gaps among many civil society organizations in Indonesia, especially at the local level. As a result, USAID launched in 2019 the five-year MADANI Civil Society Support Initiative to improve the capacity, legitimacy, and sustainability of local CSOs in 32 districts in Indonesia.
ICSF 2021 focused on government accountability and the role of civil society in promoting accountability and transparency in fighting corruption. The objectives of the ICSF 2021 were to gather insights and perspectives on the operating space for civil society in Indonesia and current capacity and sustainability constraints faced by Indonesian CSOs, and to promote the sharing of best practices and new more sustainable approaches. The ICSF convened Indonesian organizations, practitioners and development partners for networking, knowledge sharing, and acknowledgement of innovations and best practices
Indonesia Civil Society Forum (ICSF) 2021 gathered more than 50 speakers and 250 representatives from civil society, government, and development partners to gather insights and perspectives on the role of civil society in Indonesian democracy. The ICSF is envisioned as a regular forum to improve a common understanding of the capacity and sustainability constraints faced by Indonesian CSOs, and to promote the sharing of innovations and best practices in promoting sustainable financing and capacity support for civil society organizations.
The ICSF 2021 was opened by USAID/Indonesia Mission Director Ryan Washburn, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Prof. Mahfud MD (represented by the Deputy Minister of National Unity at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Dr. Janedjri M. Gaffar), and the Commissioner and Deputy Chair of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Ms. Lili Pintauli Siregar. The Forum was organized by the USAID-MADANI project in collaboration with a steering committee led by USAID and comprised of CSO experts from key development partners and Indonesian nonprofits, including the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – DFAT, the Government of Germany-GIZ, Global Affairs Canada, the Asia Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Indonesia Corruption Watch, Transparency International Indonesia, Wahana Visi Indonesia, YAPPIKA-Action Aid and the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development.
There are two proposed follow-ups to the forum. The first is to draft main takeaways and recommendations on the main themes of the role of civil society in fighting corruption, and challenges for civil society in Indonesia. These will be discussed in the ICSF Steering Committee consisting of key development partners and national NGOs in Indonesia and presented to main stakeholders. Secondly, planning will commence for the next year’s ICSF, in 2022. This year’s ICSF highlighted an increasing stagnation in civil society development in Indonesia, with a rise of “uncivil society” and recent limitations to freedoms of association and expression. Speakers highlighted raising conservatism and populism that are leading to social intolerance, that in turn is giving rise to conflicts between social organizations and community groups. To address this, participants agreed, a deepened civic dialogue and public discourse is needed, with pro-democracy CSOs coming together in organized forms. “Social Intolerance and The Future of Civil Society in Indonesia” is a proposed theme for the 2022 Indonesia Civil Society Forum.