Reverse Linkage

39 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION I ndonesia has been a significant partner to the Global South through sustained contribution to development cooperation. Indonesia’s involvement in the implemen- tation of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) has its basis in the country’s constitution. The preamble of the 1945 constitution mandates Indonesia to participate in the establishment of world order based on freedom, peace and social justice. Through its National Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2015–2019, Indonesia expresses its commitment to continue to improve develop- ment cooperationwith the Global South.This commitment is explicit in the foreign policy agenda for RPJMN 2015– 2019, 1 but is hardly a new issue for the government as Indonesia has been showing support to development coop- eration among southern countries since 1955 through its organization of the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung. The objective of support and cooperation is aimed not only at bridging the interests of fellow southern countries in establishing a more just, equal, and mutually beneficial world order but also to achieve the goals of the national agenda. Indonesia tends to expand its international devel- opment cooperation through the ethos of “beyond aid”. For years, traditional development cooperation has been centred on the transfer of financial assistance, technology, and solu- tions from the northern to the southern hemisphere. These activities are not enough to solve the world’s problems, especially in the Global South as the situation has become more of a multi-polar order in which there is no one-size- fits-all model for development cooperation. The traditional development cooperation framework cannot touch the fundamental issues occurring in developing countries, which is why Indonesia, along with other Southern coun- tries, is considering the use of a knowledge sharing platform. Under the knowledge sharing framework, Indonesia attempts to promote cooperation through a Global South peer-to-peer learning system. This activity offers more advantages because knowledge sharing is a platform for mutual learning of certain thematic issues with which both parties are able to enrich their knowledge to resolve devel- opment challenges. One of the modes of knowledge sharing among the Global South is SSTC, a scheme often regarded as the most suitable cooperation model on building capacity between developing countries. Acknowledging the importance of SSTC, Indonesia has specified five development policy strategies in the RPJMN 2015–2019: policy intervention on the development of SSTC; strengthening institutional capacity and capability in handling SSTC; establishing an eminent person group to assist the national stakeholders of SSTC; promoting SSTC at global and national levels; and developing an incentive mechanism for actors involved in SSTC. In order to run the strategies, Indonesia engages with inter- national development partners, one of thembeing the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). In 2013, the agreement between the government of the Republic of Indonesia (represented by theMinistry of National Development Planning/BAPPENAS) and IsDB was established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning South-South Cooperation (SSC) and Reverse Linkage (RL). Under theMoU, both parties have agreed to implement the RL programme as the main instrument to promote SSC in which IsDB acts as a facilita- tor in knowledge exchange activities between Indonesia and IsDB’s member countries. The area of cooperation is based Indonesia’s contribution to developing South-South and Triangular Cooperation Directorate for Foreign Policy and International Development Cooperation, BAPPENAS Strengthening Indonesia-Suriname development cooperation through Reverse Linkage – opening session at the Ministry of National Development Planning/BAPPENAS, Jakarta, 2017 Image: Bappenas