Koalisi Seni secures funding from UNESCO while waiting for cultural endowment fund from the government

Koalisi Seni or the Indonesian Art Coalition has secured funding from UNESCO through the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD). The news was announced at the 15th Intergovernmental Commission session of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

The IFCD is a multi-donor fund that was established with the aim of promoting sustainable development and poverty reduction in member developing countries.

During the assembly, UNESCO approved the “Promotion and Monitoring of Freedom of Expression in Indonesia” programme as one of the programmes that it will fund in fiscal year 2022-2024. All the programmes aim  to promote artistic freedom and involve stakeholders in the systematic monitoring of artistic freedom.

Koalisi Seni’s proposal focuses on efforts to support the Indonesian government in further realising its commitment to a dynamic cultural sector in 2022-2024. The proposal proposes three things: 

First, to conduct a preliminary and final study of key stakeholders’ practical knowledge on artistic freedom. Second, to strengthen the capabilities of journalists, the arts community and human rights organisations in monitoring and reporting violations of freedom of art. Third, to encourage further recognition of the state of artistic freedom in Indonesia.

As a non-governmental organisation that aims to help the betterment of the cultural, creative and arts sectors in Indonesia, Koalisi Seni actively participates in advocating for better policies in these sectors. One of its current advocacy efforts is to push for the establishment of the cultural endowment fund in Indonesia. 

Koalisi Seni has been pushing for its  establishment for almost five years, since the enactment of Law No.5 of 2017 concerning the Advancement of Culture. According to the press release, fortunately, this particular advocacy effort will soon become a reality as the government recently issued Presidential Regulation No.111 of 2021 that particularly regulates the Endowment Fund in the Education Sector.

According to Koalisi Seni’s analysis on the presidential regulation, the government still has at least three homeworks that must be immediately addressed.

“First, the government must immediately promote the presidential regulation to all stakeholders, especially in the arts and culture sector, [in order to prevent] confusing and inconsistent information regarding the status of the establishment of the Cultural Endowment Fund, which many arts and cultural activists have been waiting for," said Koalisi Seni Advocacy Manager Hafez Gumay on Wednesday (16 February). 

Second, the government needs to immediately arrange further arrangements regarding the mechanism to distribute the benefits so that the Cultural Endowment Fund can be immediately enjoyed by the community. Rules that need to be immediately drafted include the procedures for planning, budgeting, distribution and accountability for the utilisation of the results of the development of these funds. 

Koalisi Seni also notes that the process of compiling the derivative rules must of course be carried out openly and involve art and culture stakeholders. This is reflected in the process of drafting Presidential Regulation No.111 of 2021 which is far from being transparent and accommodating. Therefore, the involvement of stakeholders is needed to ensure that the aspirations of all cultural arts activists are accommodated.

Lastly, the government must ensure that the budget for the Cultural Endowment Fund is in accordance with President Joko Widodo's promise, which is Rp5 trillion. Looking at the 2020 state budget which only allocates Rp1 trillion for the Cultural Trust Fund and Rp5 trillion for Research Endowment Fund and the Higher Education Endowment Fund, this indicates that the government is still neglecting the cultural sector. 

“A new chapter of the Cultural Endowment Fund has begun. All stakeholders in the arts and cultural sectors need to continue to oversee government policies in order to realise the next phase in these sectors, namely a healthier cultural arts ecosystem in Indonesia,” Hafez stated.