Jakarta – More than 120 representatives of Asian civil society organizations gathered for a three-day conference in Jakarta in support of the role of regional CSOs.
The conference is co-hosted by the US Agency for International Development, Indonesian government, UN Development Program and two Indonesian civil society groups, the Asia Foundation and Kemitraan.
US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O. Blake Jr. said at the conference's opening on Monday that the gathering "reflects both Indonesia's and America's commitment for government and civil society to work together, as exemplified by the Open Government Partnership."
"All democratic governments around the world to [should] stand with civil society, [and] show our support for peaceful, constructive participation in public life by ordinary citizens," he said.
The US Embassy in Jakarta said that the conference followed on President Barack Obama's "Stand with Civil Society" event, held on the sidelines of the 2013 UN General Assembly in New York last September. Civil society organizations remain a relatively recent feature of political and social life in post-Suharto Indonesia. Instrumental in supporting democracy and public welfare, CSOs flourished in the years following the New Order regime's collapse.
Recent years, though, have seen Indonesian civil society's influence stagnate and its foundations begin to decay. Many organizations, built originally around individuals and private fortunes, now suffer from eroding institutional capacity as their leadership ages and funds dwindle.
Observers point to ambiguities in Indonesia's laws that regulate foundations – requiring annual financial reports, for example, or governance standards in relation to profit-making enterprises – and their lax enforcement with weakening civil society. Many also complain rules for partnering with foreign CSOs are too onerous.
However, a 2013 UNAIDS report highlighted innovative ways many Indonesian CSOs are developing plans for sustainable financing and business processes.
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/civil-society-organizations-gather-conference-jakarta/