RI receives $12.5m aid from Canada

RI receives $12.5m aid from Canada

JAKARTA: State Minister for Development Planning Kwik Kian Gie
and Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia Ferry de Kerckhove signed on
Friday a memorandum of understanding on financial aid for C$17.5
million (US$12.5 million) for governance reform support in the
country.

The assistance is to be used to finance reforms, especially
fiscal and institutional reforms, in a number of ministries,
agencies and related organizations.

The reforms would focus on establishing equitable and
transparent methods to handle revenue transfers, expenditures and
financing issues between the central government and local
governments, in a bid to support the decentralization of
authority and give more responsibility to the local levels of the
government.

"Canada's continuous support for our reform process is greatly
appreciated," Kwik said after the signing ceremony here on
Friday.

The Canadian International Development Agency has so far
disbursed over C$75 million in support to the Indonesian
government. --JP