WORLD BANK SUPPORTS RI'S ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM EFFORTS

Jakarta, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - The World Bank has expanded its support for Indonesia's administrative reform program since 2006 by cooperating with the administrative reform (PAN) ministry and other public services institutions, a spokesman said.

"The World Bank has been supporting reform in Indonesia's ministry of finance since 2006. Now, we want to expand our support by cooperating with the administrative reform ministry and other public services organizations," the World Bank's chief representative in Indonesia, Joachim von Amsberg, said here Wednesday.

He said strong institutions were the key to meeting the need for public services. Therefore, the World Bank was committed to supporting Indonesia's administrative reform through programs such as sharing actvities, scholarships, and technical assistance.

One of World Bank's concrete actions in supporting Indonesia's administrative reform was the holding of a two-day international seminar in Jakarta from December 3 to 4, 2008, he said.

"This seminar is a good opportunity to discuss the reform of institutions, share or exchange succes stories among the participants and also to determine the further steps to be taken in the future," Indonesia's Administrative Reform Minister Taufiq Effendi said at the seminar's opening.

The seminar's partcipants were experts in the field of administrative reform and representatives of various government institutions in the process of making administrative reform such as the finance ministry, the attorney general's office, the foreign affairs ministry and the state secretariat.

Also taking part were representatives of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) who would describe the administrative reform processes in some government institutions.

On its second day, the international seminar would discuss a number of specific issues and formulate suggestions to be presented to the administrative reform ministry.***7***