East Kalimantan Ready to Host 2026 Batch II Regional Kalimantan Local Government Appreciation
East Kalimantan (Kaltim) has officially become the host for the 2026 Batch II Regional Kalimantan Local Government Appreciation, an event designed to honour high-achieving regions and strengthen synergy between regional heads across Kalimantan.
Scheduled to take place in Balikpapan on 3 September, the East Kalimantan Provincial Government, in collaboration with the Institute of Home Affairs Governance (IPDN), held a meeting to finalise preparations at the East Kalimantan Provincial Secretary’s Meeting Room on Monday (31/8).
Arief M. Edie, Vice Rector of IPDN for Administration, stated that the event was originally planned to be held in West Kalimantan. However, due to the forest and land fire (karhutla) conditions in that region, the hosting duties were transferred to East Kalimantan.
“Initially, this regional head award activity was in West Kalimantan. But because of the forest fires, we requested the move to East Kalimantan,” said Arief.
The East Kalimantan Provincial Secretary, Sri Wahyuni, noted that Balikpapan was selected primarily because its transport accessibility highly supports the execution of a regional-scale event. The availability of flights connecting to various parts of Kalimantan is expected to facilitate the mobility of participants and central government officials.
“Balikpapan was chosen as the venue because it facilitates flights from all regions. It also eases the mobility of the officials who will be attending,” said Sri Wahyuni.
The 2026 Batch II Local Government Appreciation is expected to be attended by regional heads from across the Kalimantan region. In addition to ministers and officials from various ministries and agencies, the event will involve five governors along with the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) at the provincial level across Kalimantan, as well as regents and mayors.
The Balikpapan City Government has affirmed its full readiness to support the event. One of the prepared venues is the Balikpapan City Hall Hall, which has a capacity for approximately 109 participants and invited guests.
Beyond being an awards ceremony, the event will also feature a coordination meeting (rakor) for the provincial Forkopimda alongside the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam). This meeting is expected to strengthen coordination between local and central governments in facing various development challenges and maintaining regional stability.
Through the implementation of the 2026 Batch II Regional Kalimantan Local Government Appreciation, the government aims to encourage the creation of closer collaborative spaces among regions on Kalimantan Island. This momentum is also expected to strengthen East Kalimantan’s strategic role as a regional coordination centre, supporting integrated national development acceleration.