Canada aids 'governance reform'

Canada aids 'governance reform'

JAKARTA: Chairman of National Development Planning Board
(Bappenas) Boediono and Canadian Ambassador Kenneth Sunquist
signed on Tuesday two development assistance programs, including
one on "governance reform", worth C$5 million (US$3.3 million).

The aid was for technical support for the Indonesian
government's campaign to overcome the economic crisis and launch
reform.

At the signing of the two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs),
Sunquist said Canada hoped, through the assistance comanaged by
Bappenas and the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA), to soon establish cooperation with various ministries and
agencies.

The first memorandum was on "the governance reform support
project in Indonesia" worth C$4 million, which will be disbursed
over a period of four years. "The project is meant to facilitate
Indonesia's reform agenda in governance and participatory
development," the Canadian Embassy's statement said.

The project would respond to requests for technical assistance
from ministries and state agencies in formulating, planning,
implementing and supervising social, economic and administrative
policies in line with the government's agenda.

The second memorandum was an amendment on the "development
planning assistance project" which provided an additional fund of
C$1 million. The fund for the project is now C$4.99 million.

The project began one and a half years ago. It is meant to
improve Bappenas' "capability in planning policies for the next
five-year development plan." (swe)