Transparency and Accountability of Revenue and Spending in Extractive Resources Sector

Transforming Extractive Industry through Open Data

Indonesia, a nation used to limiting the free flow of has now reached the era of openness. The Public Information Disclosure Law was regulated in 2008 and since then, Indonesian citizens are guaranteed access to public information, including information that used to be locked away. Furthermore, Indonesia has adopted a global initiative to improve transparency and accountability within extractive industries (oil, gas, and mining) – that by nature is used to closed and full with secrecy-, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Recently, the EITI has increased its standard which require implementing country to provide accessible, usable, and machine readable data of the report. Also, given participation of Indonesia in Open Government Partnership (OGP), there are progressing moves from various sectors and level of government and many stakeholder to continually promote, provide and support implementation of open data: in public service delivery, economic and trade, politic and democracy, as well as extractive sector.

However, open data is not useful on its own. Information shared by the government or other sources still needs to be processed, analyzed and effectively communicated to the public. Government, civil society organizations, practitioners and technician (i.e. apps developer, cartographers, multimedia design, etc.) could play vary key roles to improve efficacy of open data as a valuable asset in improving public service delivery and promoting good governance. Thus, we can imagine time when all data are published in open format, and civil society effectively participate in development.

Finally, open data should not be the end. It open up greater opportunities to transforming our extractive industry, and civil society and government need to use it wisely. The wave of open data movement has started, and its impact are continually growing. Lets ride the wave!

Activity

Open Data for Effective Advocacy: Building Capacity of Civil Society

We believe that quality of data can make difference in advocacy. It can lead advocacy into a more effective and well-targeted effort to answer various problems in development. But data, without adequate user capacity does not complete. Collaborating with School of Data, coalition of PWYP Indonesia conducted series of capacity building to optimally use Open Data in advocacy. Civil society organizations (CSOs), join in with local leaders, community leaders, and indigenous community trained to efficiently work with data (i.e. open data 101, finding data, working with data, communicating data, etc.), and significance of the open data format. At least 36 organizations have benefitted from this capacity building both in national and local level. The training was adjusted not just for participant who has access to internet and computer based technology, but also to community who has limited access to such technology. This activity has improved the way data is utilized, enabled CSOs to work efficiently with data, and importantly in communicating data. Now, most of advocacy’s publication come in informative and user friendly format (i.e. infographics, etc.), which have high acceptance from stakeholders.

Drone for Advocacy: Promoting Spatial Transparency

In the extractive sector, spatiality (space and area) is important component. It relates to size of industry, financial obligation and revenues, environmental impact, and also social aspect to impacted community. In collaboration with Swandiri Institute, PWYP Indonesia promotes spatial transparency by introducing use of drone technology. We equip indigenous community of Dayak People in West Kalimantan in using drone to map their areas and traditional rights, monitor operation and compliance of extractive industry in their neighborhood. Thus, indigenous community can ensure whether an industry(s) properly operated in the permitted area, implement good mining practices, comply with environmental standard, as well as file appropriate report of production or exploitation.

From Open Data to User-Friendly Data: Developing Portal

Indonesia has fulfilled obligation to produce and publish revenues from its extractive sector through EITI report. However, complexity and amount of data on the report make it difficult to be understood and analyzed. Thus, preventing meaningful use and participation by community to advocate the report’s findings. PWYP Indonesia facilitate development of user friendly formats and media of EITI report and other extractive related data. The EITI report consist of sets data of company payments, revenue share to local government, production data, and other information related to the industry’ trend and governance. These EITI data are also combined and analyzed with data on government spending, poverty data, spatial data, etc. These sets of data are shared and visualized through web portal, infographics, apps, etc. Public can access, obtain, use, view, analyze all these extractive related data through and from the web portal and mobile apps.

Community Reporting: Benefiting from Open Data

We believe that Open Data in extractive sector will be more valuable when community can benefit from it. Especially community who impacted, located and live nearby extractive industry. In partnership with Swandiri Institute, PWYP Indonesia pilots a community monitoring and reporting program to promote good governance in extractive industry and government spending in Sanggau District – crowded with mining, oil-palm, and forestry industry- in West Kalimantan. We equip local CSOs and indigenous community of Dayak People on know-how in accessing, working with data to advocate their aspiration and causes. This include utilizing a government community reporting complaint system called LAPOR! Community also develop various reporting system from video, writing, and social media. We also strengthen the community complaint handling system by innovating availability of focal points from local CSOs to advocate and assist community reports went to the system. We find an improved communities’ understanding to the complex chain of extractive sector, process, and how it could affect communities. Importantly, communities are more eager to participate in the chain, especially in monitoring the operation and the way government spend the revenues.

From Open Data to Public Policy: Helping Shape the Nation

We continually advocating improvement of governance in the extractive sector. We see the Open Data as a valuable asset that can move forward transparency, accountability and holistic reform in the extractive sector. Through EITI Indonesia Initiative, we provide support to ensure availability of open data format for the report, as well as supporting similar format to be implemented in all agencies who involved in governance of extractive sector. Also, we process various findings from data analysis, and drone mapping. Our local partner, Swandiri Institute and indigenous community, progressing revision of regional spatial plan based on more detail and accurate images produced by drone mapping. The community proposal include adjustment to accommodate existing land use, forest zonation, and importantly traditional rights on land. Also, they progressively follow up findings of environmental damage, overlapped in land use, land grabbing practiced by extractive industry.

About Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia

PWYP Indonesia is a civil society coalition for transparency and accountability of extractive oil and gas resources governance. Established in 2007, and registered as a legal entity in Indonesia since 2012 and names as Yayasan Transparansi Sumberdaya Ekstraktif Indonesia. PWYP is built to improve accountability and transparency of extractive resources’ governance in Indonesia and global level, consolidate civil society organizations (CSOs) efforts, and strengthen CSOs capacity to effectively involve in reforming governance of extractive resources for sustainable development. Until May 2015, there are 39 CSOs member of PWYP Indonesia. PWYP Indonesia is affiliated with global PWYP campaign. This coalition’s campaign enforces the birth of global initiatives EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) in countries enriched with oil and gas resources. After a decade, this coalition along with its members expanded its scope of advocacy not only at the revenue chain, but also along the value chain of extractive industry.
PWYP Indonesia supported by SEATTI/HIVOS initiates optimalisation of information technology to improve governance of extractive sector (i.e. oil and gas, mining) by promoting implementation of open data, building capacity and best practice of civil society to effectively monitor the sector and government program.

Contact:
National Secretariat of Publish What You Pay Indonesia
Jl Tebet Utara 2C No 22B, Jakarta Selatan 12820, Indonesia
Telp/Fax: +62-21 – 8355560
E-mail: sekretariat[at]rrcindonesia.com/pwyp150128 | Website: www.rrcindonesia.com/pwyp150128
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