ANTARA from AusAID and the Australia Indonesia Partnership (AIP)
Richard Manning, Director of ANTARA PROGRAM, accompanying by Head of AusAID Indonesia, Blair Exell, welcoming
the visit of Governor Leburaya at ANTARA office on 01/08/08
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Frans Leburaya had only been on the job for two weeks as the Governor of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) when he
visited AusAID representative office in Kupang last August 2008. He and his staff were met by Ulla Keech-Marx,
AusAID representative in Kupang, Richard Manning, Director of ANTARA program and Blair Exell, Head of AusAID
in Indonesia who was also visiting from Jakarta.
The Governor was keen to learn more about the Australia-Indonesia development partnership in NTT. AusAID activities
in NTT are aimed at reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.
NTT is one of the poorest provinces in Indonesia. Blair Exell, as the Chief Representative of AusAID in Indonesia,
assured the Governor that there is still more support coming to the province.
“AusAID is working closely with the local stakeholders, including local governments, in a number
of areas such as education, health, economic development, governance, community development and infrastructure,”
Exell said.
One of the key programs dedicated to Nusa Tenggara Timur is the ANTARA (Australia Nusa Tenggara Assistance
for Regional Autonomy) program, which has been in the province since 2005. The aim of ANTARA is to reduce
poverty by improving provincial and district governance system, economic growth and access to quality basic
services for men and women in NTT.
At the office, Richard Manning gave a presentation on the ANTARA program to the Governor. The Governor listened
intently as Richard explained about its progress and achievements. One of the activities called Public Expenditure
Analysis and Capacity Enhancement (PEACH) for example has contributed analysis for Provincial Mid Term Planning
and Budgeting year 2008-2013.
At the end of his two-hour visit, Frans Leburaya said that he was happy with the way the partnership is going
and thanked the Government of Australia for its support to reduce poverty in Nusa Tenggara Timur.
“I'm pleased to know that our development partnership, particularly here in NTT, has been working
really well. This reflects the very close ties between the two countries,” said Leburaya.
more information on ANTARA from KGI
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