A study on the progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was conducted in Indonesia from 2012 to 2014, lasting for a period of 15 months. The evaluation study was carried out by SurveyMETER and the Center for Development Innovation (CDI) after being assigned by the Amsterdam Institute for International Development (AIID) as a consortium in Indonesia, to implement the Dutch Government assistance program, namely the Dutch Co-Financing System (MFS II) for development cooperation. The objective was to aid the successful implementation of the MDGs in Indonesia. The MFS II provides funding to several Southern Partner Organizations (SPO) or partner institutions in developing countries, including 94 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Indonesia, providing collaboration support for a range of development initiatives. The funding aims to strengthen civil society in developing countries and contribute to sustainable poverty reduction.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiative began in September 2000, as a result of an agreement between the heads of state and representatives of 189 United Nations (UN) countries. The initiative aimed to achieve eight specific goals by 2015, with the ultimate aim of improving people's welfare and community development across the globe. This target, which was outlined in the Millennium Declaration, was adopted by 189 countries and signed by 147 heads of government and heads of state at the Millennium Summit in New York in September 2000. The Indonesian government was also part of this initiative and signed the Millennium Declaration during the Summit.

The declaration is a commitment made by each country and the international community to achieve eight development goals in this Millennium (MDG). These goals are a set of measurable targets aimed at reducing poverty and promoting development. The signing of this declaration is a promise from world leaders to accomplish the following objectives: reduce hunger by more than half, ensure that all children receive basic education, close the gender gap in all levels of education, reduce child mortality by two-thirds, improve maternal health, combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other infectious diseases, promote environmental sustainability, halve the number of people without access to clean water, and build global partnerships in development by 2015.

Dutch Government Assistance

Indonesia has signed the declaration to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but it faces various obstacles in implementing its commitment. The MDGs have become an essential reference for development in Indonesia, beginning from the planning stage as stated in the Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJM) down to its implementation. The achievement of the MDGs in Indonesia will serve as the foundation for future cooperation agreements and implementation. This includes a campaign for debt swap agreements for developing countries in line with the Jakarta Declaration on the MDGs in the Asia and Pacific region. Therefore, the Indonesian Government is working hard to realize the 2015 MDGs and is collaborating with all parties, including civil society, the private sector, and donor institutions.

To support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Dutch Government has established the Dutch Co-Financing System (MFS II) for development cooperation. This system provides funding through a consortium of 20 Dutch NGOs. MFS II funding covers 7 of the 8 MDGs goals, which are: MDG 1 - eradicating poverty and hunger, MDG 3 - promoting gender equality and women's empowerment, MDG 4 - reducing child mortality, MDG 5 - improving maternal health, MDG 6 - combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, MDG 7 - ensuring environmental sustainability, and good governance as the basis for achieving the MDGs.

Implementation of the MDGs Development Study in Indonesia

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires an external independent evaluation of MFS II activities for either fully or partially funded activities by the Dutch Government. Of the 20 consortia that distributed MFS II funds, 19 consortia decided to conduct a joint evaluation. As a consortium in Indonesia, the Amsterdam Institute for International Development (AIID) appointed the Center for Development Innovation (CDI) in collaboration with SurveyMETER to conduct an evaluation study on the implementation and benefits of the MFS II program in Indonesia.

This study includes twelve sub-studies categorized in E1 to E12. The aspects that are of concern to the twelve sub-studies include:

1. E Related to MDGs 7 (a and b) and 1: mangrove forest coverage, forest management, share of income that utilizes ecosystems, household awareness of natural disasters, and disaster risk reduction technologies.
2. E Related to MDGs 7 (a and b) and 1: household awareness and behavior in natural resource management, number of households registered to participate in sustainable forest management, share of income that uses ecosystems, and resolved land conflicts.
3. E Related to MDGs 7 (a and b) and 1 and Good Governance: support received by NGOs about MDGs 7a and 7b, spatial planning models and ecological and cultural heritage protection schemes; ecosystem restoration, improving living standards, gaining recognition from the government, forest area coverage, and biodiversity.
4. E Related to MDGs 1 and 7 (a and b): number of seed varieties that have received certification, seed prices, farmers' economic situation, farmer productivity, number of seeds sold on the national market, and access to credit.
5. E Related to MDGs 1: household economic situation.
6. E Related to MDGs 1: benefits of education on household financial management, access to credit, and household economic conditions.
7. E Related to MDGs 3: women's independence, women's legal awareness, and levels of violence against women.
8. E Related to Good Governance: increasing community capacity in natural resource management and disaster management, community regulations and local policy documentation containing natural resource management, forest management structure, number of households living from forest management, and household livelihoods.
9. E Related to Good Governance and MDGs 7: awareness of rights to natural resources, conflict resolution, ownership of natural resources, and community forest area.
10. E Related to MDGs 1: productivity, livelihood of cashew nut farmers, price of cashew nuts, cashew nuts sold on national and regional markets, access to credit, state of the business environment, and new jobs.
11. E Related to MDGs 4, 5, 6, and MDGs 3: women's mental and physical health, women's independence, behavior change, and the independence of perpetrators of violence against women.
12. E Related to MDGs 3 and MDGs 4, 5, 6: students' knowledge of reproductive health, sex education and human rights.

This study was meticulously conducted in two rounds, the baseline round in 2012 and the end-line in 2014. The baseline round was carried out from July to December 2012, covering 94 NGO communities (SPO) as recipients of the MFS II program in nine provinces. The study was executed with utmost precision, with sub-studies carried out in E1 in East Nusa Tenggara; E2 in Papua; E3 in West Kalimantan; E4 in West Java; E5 in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, DKI Jakarta, and West Java; E6 in Central Java; E7 in Central Java; E8 in Aceh; E9 in South Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara; E10 in East Nusa Tenggara; E11 in the Special Region of Yogyakarta; and E12 in DKI Jakarta.

In 2013, the study included qualitative and partly quantitative sub-studies, in addition to deepening the baseline quantitative survey conducted in 2012. (JF)