San Fransisco, Indonesia-Relief -- The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit organization devoted to Asia's development since 1954, announced on Thursday that it has received a $4,900,000 AusAID (AUS $6 million) grant from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) to fund a local election and democratic governance program in Indonesia. The grant is the largest award the Foundation has received from AusAID.
During his recent visit to Australia, Douglas Bereuter, president of The Asia Foundation, participated in the annual Australian American Leadership Dialogue and delivered the Alfred Deakin Lecture at the University of Melbourne. Bereuter also met with Prime Minister John Howard and Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer to discuss the Australia-Asia Foundation partnership and opportunities for increased collaboration in Asia.
In his Alfred Deakin lecture, Bereuter emphasized the value of collaboration between the U.S. and Australia on development projects in Asia.
''In 2004, the shared vision, mutual respect, and constructive relationships developed over decades of programming in Indonesia enabled AusAID and USAID, with and through The Asia Foundation, to forge a partnership that clearly had a positive impact on the stability of Indonesia by promoting tolerance and pluralism and by advancing democracy in the region,'' he said in an Asia Foundation statement.
The $4,900,000 grant-the largest internationally funded local election support program in Indonesia-will support nation-wide, local election observation and voter education for nearly every district. The program began in June 2005 and will continue through mid-2009. The Asia Foundation will administer the grant through its Jakarta office, which opened in 1955 and currently implements programs in Islam and democracy, education, legal reform, women's empowerment, economic policy reform, and post- tsunami reconstruction in Aceh.
Funds will be provided to the People's Voter Education Network (JPPR)-an Asia Foundation-supported coalition of Muslim, Christian, inter-faith, and secular NGOs committed to democracy in Indonesia.
Since 1999, The Asia Foundation has provided financial support and technical assistance to the JPPR for its voter education and observation efforts. Most recently, the JPPR deployed more than 250,000 observers to monitor the polling and counting processes and to distribute non-partisan voter education materials during the three national elections held in 2004.
Bereuter continued, ''We are thrilled to again have the opportunity to work with the Government of Australia to provide JPPR with critical funding to help make Indonesian citizens aware of their right to-and the importance of-an informed vote as they replace appointed governors, district heads, and mayors with elected individuals.''