The Institute aims to assist Indonesia to strengthen its civil society by providing non-government groups with training and specialist advice and through support for institution building.

Through its activities, the AII Civil Society program continued to promote the development of relationships between civil society leaders and organisations and the transfer of knowledge and skills relevant to a range of important political and social issues within both countries.

Australia–Indonesia Young Leaders’ Dialogue Asia Australia Institute and the Habibie Centre

The Institute supported the inaugural Young Leaders’ Dialogue organised and co-hosted by the Asia–Australia Institute in Australia and the Habibie Centre in Indonesia as a major contribution to help build trust and more broadly based and enduring relationships between younger generations of leaders in each country. The Dialogue, held in Bogor in May 2002, involved 12 younger generation leaders on each side, generally between 25 and 40 years of age and drawn from government, business, the media, NGOs, the military and community life. These individuals already held high profiles in their field and showed prospects of exercising real leadership influence in their respective country’s future. Importantly, they also were willing to make a commitment to working together with others on the Australia–Indonesia relationship.

Participants in the inaugural Australia–Indonesia Young Leaders’ Dialogue, Bogor, May 2002

In the final session of the Dialogue, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Alexander Downer MP, and Indonesia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Hassan Wirayudha, joined the participants to receive a report of the proceedings. At this session the participants presented proposals for action and major issues for attention by governments and other stakeholders in the relationship. The Foreign Ministers welcomed these proposals, congratulated the organisers and participants and undertook to give close consideration to their report.

Ethnicity and religious Conflict: interfaith dialogue Faculty of Asian Studies, ANU

Arifah Rahmawati during her visit to Canberra, October 2001

The Institute funded the visit to Australia by Ms Arifah Rahmawati from the Strategic and International Studies Centre at the University of Gadjah Mada as a significant contribution to discussion and understanding in Australia of the ethnic and religious situation in Indonesia. Ms Rahmawati visited Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in October 2001 and spoke to a diverse group of Australians in each city. Topics covered included her peace building work with Muslims and Christians in Ambon, interfaith issues, and the role of Muslim women in Indonesian society. In addition to her public speaking engagements and meetings, Ms Rahmawati also undertook interviews on the Religion Report (ABC Radio National) and Asia Pacific with Peter Mares. Ms Rahmawati impressed as an individual who is committed to lessening violence and conflict in her own country and committed to improving understanding of Indonesia abroad.

Gender and Globalisation in Asia and the Pacific, Centre for Women’s Studies, ANU

The Institute supported the participation of two eminent Islamic feminists from Indonesia at a major workshop on Gender and Globalisation in Asia and the Pacific: Feminist Re-visions of the international organised by the Centre for Women’s Studies in November 2001. The workshop included a session on Indonesia in Global Context, which addressed the impact of the Asian crisis on women, spirituality, and gender in policy and programs in Indonesia.

Conservation of the Sumateran Carcass Flower, Royal Botanical Gardens Sydney

The Institute contributed to a joint project between the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Sydney and Kebun Raya Indonesia (KRI) Bogor for the conservation and commercialisation of Amorphophallus titanum, better known as the Sumateran Carcass Flower. The main aim of the project was to demonstrate, via joint scientific trials, that this spectacular flower can be successfully propagated using low-technology vegetative propagation techniques. Success would lead to an awareness of the conservation issues affecting the plant and a reduction in the pressure applied to the population in the wild through over-collection for use as curiosity plants.

The AII’s assistance enabled the transfer of appropriate technologies, training, setting up of trials and the formulation of educational materials by the RBG and KRI. The project has received wide recognition and advanced the message on the importance of conservation of the natural environment through its information activities, including the production of a bilingual brochure and poster. The staff of KRI Bogor was able to showcase the project when over 28,000 people flocked to the garden over a five day period to witness the flowering of one of their Carcass Flowers.

Propagation trials at Bogor have been positive and it is hoped the project will eventually be able to supply the demand for the plant and so stop wild harvesting.