New Philanthropic Initiatives for Indonesia: The Post-2015 Partnership Platform for Philanthropy

After the years in which the previous Millennium Development Goals (MDG) designed for helping philanthropic foundations improve conditions in countries like Indonesia were deemed to be somewhat incomplete, a new set of goals called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) was set in place recently. Philanthropic organizations gathered to find new solutions for poverty, health issues and inadequate education.

The new program, called the Post-2015 Partnership Platform for Philanthropy, has been set in place by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to outline the necessary changes and activities that are planned to be enacted in the years following 2015.

Who Is Behind the Initiative?

The new program is collectively run by the UNDP together with the Foundation Center and a group of other organizations, such as the Ford Foundation, the Tanoto Foundation (represented by Belinda Tanoto) and the Conrand N. Hilton Foundation, held together through a collaboration committee and fully supported and guided by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Indonesia is among the few countries that were chosen as targets for the new program, due to the fact that many of their inhabitants live well below the national poverty line and many new changes are required before adequate possibilities for a healthier, safer and happier life can be ensured for as much of the population as possible.

The proposal for the new SDGs was first presented after a year of painstaking work performed by a comprehensive group composed of representatives from more than 70 governments.

Established at the end of 2014, they were essentially the first part of a plan that would stretch from 2015 across almost 2 decades up to the 2030s, with goals including:

the unfinished MDGs – such as ending poverty and health related problems, improving education and achieving gender equality

economic and environmental sustainability

the creation and improvement of peaceful societies and initiatives to speed up development.

The foundations operating in the countries in question are expected to have widespread influence and retain the initiative to work on enacting these goals in a manner as straightforward and efficient as possible. In Indonesia, the Tanoto Foundation is among the key players involved in helping provide better resources, opportunities for infrastructural and health care improvements, and educational means for achieving goals such as gender equality and a higher degree of literacy.

The Post-2015 Development Agenda

The deadline of the MDGs is rapidly passing, and with the new goals in place, it seems that the Post-2015 Partnership Platform for Philanthropy has a brand new plan to implement in the following years, named the Post-2015 Development Agenda. This initiative was created to outline the way in which the new SDGs are expected to be implemented and ensure that, through the collaboration of a larger group of stakeholders, the goals are given a better chance of success for the future.

The project will provide the governments in countries like Indonesia, as well as grant holders and the UN system, with more data and a better understanding of the key issues that need to be addressed. According to the UNDP, in Indonesia, the focus will be more on continuing efforts to lower the number of people living below the national poverty line and providing better access to clean water, while also improving the health care system to reduce the number of infant and child deaths and stop the spread of HIV.

Data gathered from surveys placed healthcare, education, food and better security among the top concerns that countries facing high rates of poverty need to address. Through the initiatives set forth by the Partnership Platform for Philanthropy, the required activities for improving these areas are expected to be set in motion as soon as the end of 2015, with a long and extremely active schedule in place for the next 10-15 years.