Socio-Economic Context
Indonesia is an upper-middle-income country with a population of over 267 million, the fourth most populous country in the world. It is a member of the Group of 20, a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and is among the world’s 10th largest economies by purchasing power parity. With 1,128 recognized ethnic groups, Indonesia is home to an estimated 50–70 million Indigenous people (or “people belonging to customary law communities”, the term preferred by the Government of Indonesia). The country continues to make steady progress in human development and poverty reduction.
In terms of natural hazards, Indonesia is positioned on the “ring of fire” and thus exposed to impacts from earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. The country has also witnessed an increase in climate-related events such as floods, droughts and storms. See more details here.
SSTC Engagement
Indonesia has been sharing its knowledge and experience with other middle-income and developing countries since the 1950s, and its role in South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) has grown considerably in recent years.
In 1995, Indonesia established a NAM Centre for South-South Technical Cooperation (NAM CSSTC) (Later changed to South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), with poverty alleviation, development of small and medium enterprises, health, agriculture, environment, and information and communication technology as its main thematic areas. The programmes and activities of NAM are mainly designed to promote the exchange of resources, skills and experience between NAM member countries, through exchanges of expertise, technical knowledge and workshops, networking, training and internships. The NAM CSSTC has been active in and organised more than 150 programme activities since its formation.
Indonesia’s SSTC had a decentralized structure and included a large number of ministries having some component of SSTC. To address the issue of information management and coordination, in 2010 the Indonesian Government formed the National Coordination Team for South-South Technical Cooperation (NCT). Its tasks include coordinating the cooperation programmes, drafting cooperation arrangements with development partners, and monitoring and evaluating the programmes.
As the priority, Indonesia is currently set to become one of the largest school meal programmes in the world (through its Free Nutritious Meals Programme). Although in 2025, Indonesia is still setting up its programme, there are potential engagement opportunities in 2026, once Indonesia has reached universal school meals, that is fully financed by national funds and is premised on being 100% home-grown. To achieve this goal, Indonesia is drawing on Brazil's successful national school feeding programme (PNAE).
Technical Expertise & Capacities
Social Protection
The Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs implements the Family Hope Programme (PKH) as an effort to accelerate poverty reduction and bridge the gender gap. Through this national Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) programme, poor families, especially pregnant women and children, have access to basic social services in health, education, food and nutrition, care and assistance. This scheme is moving towards adapting to the risks associated with climate and humanitarian crises. See more details here.
Also, the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs implements a disaster relief social protection programme - the Jaminan Hidup (JADUP) scheme. Through this programme the affected population receives financial assistance, funded by national and/or sub-national budgets aiming to help them meet their basic needs and recover from disaster impacts.
Additionally, a social protection initiative implemented by the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency - the Food Staples Programme(SEMBAKO) is designed to support low-income families by providing access to basic food necessities.
Disaster Resilience
The Government of Indonesia has put in place adaptation and resilience initiatives to address climate-related challenges. The initiatives include the Disaster Resilience Improvement Programme (DRIP) which invests in resilient infrastructure and disaster preparedness and the recently established Pooling Fund for Disasters – a central mechanism for managing disaster-related contingent liabilities in a cost-effective manner. In 2023, Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) Guidance has been developed with support from WFP to support the leveraging of social protection to address risks for climate-related hazards and other shocks. See more details here.
Climate Resilience
The Climate Field School Programme, spearheaded by the Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency in West Kalimantan province, supports local farmers to adapt to climate variability. The programme offers a comprehensive curriculum focused on local farming practices and designed to meet the unique agricultural challenges of the region.
In addition, in February 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) released the draft Grand Design on Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Agriculture which outlines the ministry’s overarching strategy to improve the adaptive capacity of the country’s agricultural sector to climate change while simultaneously achieving its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments.
Institutions Involved
- National Coordination Team for South-South Technical Cooperation (NCT)
- Ministry of Social Affairs
- Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Indonesian AID
SSTC Modalities
- Study visits
- Virtual trainings
- In-person trainings
- Knowledge product development
- In-field visit in recipient countries
- Technology transfer
SSTC examples & case studies
The Philippines and Indonesia Learning Exchange to Strengthen Disaster Management and Emergency Mobile Food Kitchen Solutions
Social Protection
Nutrition and Food Quality
Emergency preparedness and response (EPR)
April 2024