ID :
34970
Wed, 12/10/2008 - 20:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/34970
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PRESIDENT INAUGURATES INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY
Nusa Dua, Bali, Dec 10 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inaugurated an Institute for Peace and Democracy in Jimbaran village, Badung district, Bali on Wednesday.
An independent, non-profit organization, the institute's main activities would be organizing workshops, conducting studies and research, networking with related organizations and institutions and publishing papers and periodicals.
Established in cooperation with Bali-based Udayana University, the institute's aim is to support the activities of the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) which is currently holding its first meeting here.
The institute would be funded not only by Indonesia but also by Australia and Norway. The two foreign countries had expressed their commitment to provide assistance for the Bali Democracy Forum and the Institute for Peace and Democracy.
"These countries have committed themselves to financing Indonesia's activities in promoting democracy through the Bali Democracy Forum and the Institute for Peace and Democracy," Dino Patti Djalal, a spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.
Norway was reported to be ready to provide US$2.5 million, while Australia would channel A$3 million to Indonesia, he said.
But Djalal said he did not know the details of the assistance packages to be provided by the two countries to Indonesia. "But the most important thing is that the two countries are to provide assistance because they care much about efforts to build democracy," he said.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said during a press conference before the opening of the Bali Democracy Forum that his country would provide a $3 million assistance package to Indonesia to support the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) and the institute for peace and democracy.
The Bali Democracy Forum and the new institute at the University of Udayana in Bali were timely regional initiatives by President Yudhoyono aimed at fostering democracy in the Asia Pacific region, he said.
Rudd also congratulated President Yudhoyono for his vision and his regional leadership in convening the Bali Democracy Forum.
The forum will be open to all countries from across the region and meet regularly at ministrial level. It will be supported by the new institute which will organize workshops and research on democratic processes, such as electoral systems, the role of civil society and the media, the judiciary and the role of the military.
"It is in Australia's own national interest to support an initiative aimed at strengthening democratic process and good governance in the Asia Pacific," he said.
It is fitting that the initiative was taken by President Yudhoyono in Indonesia which has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years to become the world's third largest democracy, Rudd said.
Australian assistance to the Bali Democracy Forum would provide support for a partnership between the institute and Australia's Center for Democratic Institutions at the Australian National University, start-up financing for the institute and a mixture of short- and long-term democracy scholarships established in partnership with the institute which will bring students from the region to study in Australia.
An independent, non-profit organization, the institute's main activities would be organizing workshops, conducting studies and research, networking with related organizations and institutions and publishing papers and periodicals.
Established in cooperation with Bali-based Udayana University, the institute's aim is to support the activities of the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) which is currently holding its first meeting here.
The institute would be funded not only by Indonesia but also by Australia and Norway. The two foreign countries had expressed their commitment to provide assistance for the Bali Democracy Forum and the Institute for Peace and Democracy.
"These countries have committed themselves to financing Indonesia's activities in promoting democracy through the Bali Democracy Forum and the Institute for Peace and Democracy," Dino Patti Djalal, a spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.
Norway was reported to be ready to provide US$2.5 million, while Australia would channel A$3 million to Indonesia, he said.
But Djalal said he did not know the details of the assistance packages to be provided by the two countries to Indonesia. "But the most important thing is that the two countries are to provide assistance because they care much about efforts to build democracy," he said.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said during a press conference before the opening of the Bali Democracy Forum that his country would provide a $3 million assistance package to Indonesia to support the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) and the institute for peace and democracy.
The Bali Democracy Forum and the new institute at the University of Udayana in Bali were timely regional initiatives by President Yudhoyono aimed at fostering democracy in the Asia Pacific region, he said.
Rudd also congratulated President Yudhoyono for his vision and his regional leadership in convening the Bali Democracy Forum.
The forum will be open to all countries from across the region and meet regularly at ministrial level. It will be supported by the new institute which will organize workshops and research on democratic processes, such as electoral systems, the role of civil society and the media, the judiciary and the role of the military.
"It is in Australia's own national interest to support an initiative aimed at strengthening democratic process and good governance in the Asia Pacific," he said.
It is fitting that the initiative was taken by President Yudhoyono in Indonesia which has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years to become the world's third largest democracy, Rudd said.
Australian assistance to the Bali Democracy Forum would provide support for a partnership between the institute and Australia's Center for Democratic Institutions at the Australian National University, start-up financing for the institute and a mixture of short- and long-term democracy scholarships established in partnership with the institute which will bring students from the region to study in Australia.
