Kolonodale – Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia collaborates with IDEA Yogyakarta, organized training for local communities “Increasing Community Participation in Improving Mining Governance and Just Energy Transition in North Morowali” in North Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi. The activity, which was held on February 6-7, 2023, in Kolonodale, North Morowali, was attended by around 23 participants, who came from five surrounding villages, namely Tiu Village, Maralee, Bungintimbe, Molores, and Towara, North Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi Province.
This activity is part of the “Engaging Communities in a Just Transition through Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI) Implementation” program supported by the International EITI Secretariat. This program aims to support civil society, local communities, and local governments to better understand, discuss, address, and prepare for the impacts of the energy transition for communities in areas that still depend on extractive resource industries through EITI implementation in Indonesia.
This training has the aim of not only increasing the knowledge of local communities in aspects of energy transition and the resulting impacts, but also obtaining identification findings related to information needs needed by the community by comparing information in the Indonesian EITI Report or a method known as gap analysis. The training also identifies spaces for community participation and access in the planning and mining governance policies.
The activity was filled with various materials and activities that attracted the participants’ enthusiasm. The introductory session began by conducting a pre-test, mapping expectations and concerns. The facilitators also applied games as a tool for knowledge transfer between facilitators and community participants. The material presented included an understanding of the rights and obligations of citizens and the basic concepts of a fair energy transition, including identifying the types, benefits, and shortcomings of renewable energy. Furthermore, related to the impact of transition and extractive industries on the community. One of them explained that areas that depend on the fossil industry would lose income, and people will also lose jobs in the sector.
Then in the next session, the identification of EITI reports information gaps with what the community needs. In this session, participants were divided into four groups to identify aspects such as beneficial ownership, community empowerment development, allocation of the Revenue Sharing Fund (DBH), and other related information such as CSR. One of the exciting things in the session was that after the community knew the allocation of revenue sharing in the Minerba sector between the center and the regions to the producing districts, participants proposed that there should be legislation that can accommodate a more significant allocation of funds for producing areas. It is expected to be more than previously regulated, or 32%. In addition, the community also wants information related to the DBH fund flow mechanism at the village level.
Furthermore, as the event entered the last sessions of group discussions in developing advocacy strategy plans for resolving impact issues in related areas, participants were asked to discuss advocacy efforts that had been carried out and felt the need to be encouraged again. In addition, they are also expected to identify what information is needed and map stakeholders who are considered to be able to help resolve the issues raised.
Author: Wicitra Diwasasri
Reviewer: Aryanto Nugroho