Launching of Indonesia Development Forum and Announcement of IDForum 2017 Call for Papers

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“It is not possible to create strong, equitable, inclusive and sustainable development growth without narrowing the gaps of inequality, be they economic, social, cultural or regional.”

Bambang Brodjonegoro, National Development Planning Minister/Head of Bappenas

by Ramadian Nugrahane

On 23 May Bambang Brodjonegoro addressed the launch of the Indonesia Development Forum. The launch also saw a Call for Papers to be presented at the Indonesia Development Forum 2017.

The Indonesia Development Forum is a platform initiated by Bappenas and supported by KSI. It invites national and international stakeholders to convene, communicate and collaborate to find solutions to income and developmental gaps in the nation. The Indonesia Development Forum is expected to hold its first international forum in Jakarta on August 9 and 10, with leaders of government as well as representatives of academia, research institutes, civil society organisations and members of the public. Renowned international experts will also attend.

The theme for the Indonesia Development Forum 2017 is ‘Fighting Inequality for Better Growth’. This follows a directive from President Joko Widodo delivered during a cabinet meeting at the Bogor Palace in January about the Government’s commitment to reducing inequality and creating inclusive growth.

Ms Fleur Davies, Counsellor Minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Embassy, addressed the launch. “The theme for this year’s Indonesia Development Forum is timely and highly relevant. Addressing inequality is a key pillar of Australia’s development partnership with Indonesia,” she said.

For the Government of Indonesia, overcoming socioeconomic and developmental gaps between regions has been one of its top priorities over the past two years. In 2013 the Gini ratio reached its highest mark ever in Indonesia’s history, at 0.41. By the end of 2016 various priority programs and measures by the Government managed to slightly reduce the Gini ratio to 0.394. The Gini ratio is a statistical dispersion measure to represent income or wealth distribution among a nation’s residents, and is most commonly used to measure inequality.

To further reduce the Gini ratio, the Government needs to continue issuing policies that create inclusive economic growth, inclusive financial access, increase the welfare of farmers, build sustainable cities and employ technology to prevent socioeconomic gaps from widening. Provision of basic services needs to be improved for all. These topics have been distilled by IDF and are among the 11 sub-themes of the Call for Papers for IDF 2017.

Links:

IndonesiaDevelopmentForum.com

https://www.instagram.com/idforum2017

https://twitter.com/idforum2017

https://www.facebook.com/idforum2017/