“Southeast Asia is rich with lesson learns and experiences in promoting good governance in the extractive sector. This is an important capital to strengthen collaboration between countries and CSOS in this region, especially towards the upcoming AEC” – Meliana Lumbantoruan, Program Manager

Southeast Asia is one of main producer for various important commodities for market in Singapore, Japan, China, as well as Europe and America. Asean Economic Community (AEC) will play central role in the economic integration the region which is started in 2015. It will drives various progress in vary sector includes energy, mineral and mining. Also, it will promote potency of natural resources in the region, boost involvement of private sector, and improvement in the human resource.

Publish What You Pay Indonesia (PWYP Indonesia) with support from IKAT–US (Southeast Asia Cooperation Network – United States), coordinated by Natural Resources Governance Institute-NRGI (formerly Revenue Watch Institute), initiate a program to support strengthening of capacity and share lesson learnt and experience in the extractive sector governance between countries in the Southeast Asia (i.e. Indonesia, The Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and East Timor).

This program focus on strengthening capacity of the countries through share of lesson learns and experiences in promoting good governance in the extractive sector that is effective, transparent, and accountable in the region. This includes implementation of EITI initiatives, capacity building for stakeholders, policy formulation, multi-stakeholder dialogues, as well as advocacy to the existing policy agencies in the region.

We involved several members of PWYP coalition such as Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), Article 33, Indonesia Parliamentary Center (IPC), Bantay Kita The Philippines, IDEAS Malaysia, CRRT Cambodia, PanNature Vietnam and Luta Hamutuk Timor Leste. Also, through collaborative work lead by IESR, we promote development of Framework for Extractive Industry Governance in ASEAN. In the sub-national level, Article 33 led effort to promote improvement of governance through piloting in South Cotabato of the Philippines and Bojonegoro District of Indonesia.

We also collaborate with various partners in Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific Hub of Gadjah Mada University to compile and publish lesson learns, experiences and best practices of advocacy to promote good governance in the extractive sector. The topics range from protection of community rights, national revenue, environmental advocacy, to management of revenue and spending, as well as advocacy in the regional and global level. [#Js, My, Ml]