NGOs, local govts to get bulk of CGI grants

NGOs, local govts to get bulk of CGI grants

Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local
administrations will get the bulk of the grants and technical
assistance facilities worth US$400 million that were pledged by
foreign donors Wednesday.

Office of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy spokesman
Mahendra Siregar told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the
facilities would be used to promote good governance, foster
judicial reform and improve human resources.

He said detailed activities would include training, research,
and surveys carried out in support of the above objectives.

"We expect that the aid can help encourage the wide-ranging
economic and political reforms that are currently underway," said
Mahendra.

The country's traditional donors grouped in the Consultative
Group on Indonesia (CGI) promised to provide the country with
some $2.7 billion in fresh loans. But on top of that, the donors
also agreed to provide grants and technical assistance
facilities.

The amount of the grants and technical assistance for 2003 was
lower than in 2001, when the figure reached $586 million.

Most of the 2001 grants were disbursed to finance the campaign
for the protection of natural forests, to improve the legal and
judicial system, poverty reduction studies and training, the
anticorruption campaign, and to improve the skills and
professionalism of public servants in the regions, which had just
been granted autonomy by the central government.

Mahendra said that the facilities would be directly disbursed
to the relevant NGOs and local governments without the
intervention of the central government. --JP