Tallinn, Estonia (6/9/2023) – As one of the initiator of Open Government Partnership (OGP), Indonesia is invited to the OGP Global Summit 2023 in Tallinn-Estonia to receive international award for its initiative in widening the access to legal aid for indigent and vulnerable people. The initiative was encouraged by the Indonesian Civil Society Coalition consisted of Indonesia Judicial Research Society (IJRS); Asosiasi LBH APIK Indonesia; and Perhimpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia Indonesia (PBHI) altogether with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights through the National Law Development Agency (BPHN). After going through the selection process, the initiative won 1st place among 47 other OGP state parties in Asia-Pacific.
The widening of legal aid access is one of the commitments which was jointly adopted by the government and the coalition of CSOs in the National Action Plan for Open Government Indonesia (RAN OGI) 2023-2024. According to the Law No. 16/2011 on Legal Aid, the Government has been ordered to provide free legal aid for the indigent people. In order to implement this provision, the Indonesian Government has allocated a specific budget for legal aid which can be accessed by CSOs who are eligible to become the legal aid providers. This budget is specifically designed to pay for the legal services given by the legal aid providers to the indigent justice seekers. This mechanism then got replicated by some of the local governments who passed the regulation to also allocate a budget for legal aid, therefore widened the access of free legal aid for indigent people through the local government’s budget.
Hopefully, the awards can act as a token of remembrance for the Indonesian government as well as the CSOs in facing the next challenges in the effort to ensure the fulfillment of access to justice. The effort must not stop and should continue moving forward. The Indonesian government needs to continue to involve civil society in every policy making related to Legal Aid by providing the widest possible space at every stage, to ensure accountability and prove the Government’s commitment after receiving the OGP Award.
