Check Against Delivery

Closing Ceremony of EU-UNDP SUSTAIN Project

“Five Years of Supporting Justice Reform in Indonesia”

Jakarta, 16 July 2019

Speech by Mr Charles-Michel Geurts

Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Delegation of the European Union to Indonesia

Selamat pagi dan salam sejahtera untuk kita semua,

Your Excellency Bapak Muhammad Hatta Ali, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia,

Your Excellency Bapak Syarifuddin, Deputy Chief Justice for Judicial Affairs,

Your Excellency Bapak Sunarto, Deputy Chief Justice for Non-Judicial Affairs,

Mr Christophe Bahuet, Resident Representative of UNDP Indonesia,  

Honorable Justices,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour to be here today at the closing ceremony of the EU-UNDP Support to the Justice Sector Reform in Indonesia (SUSTAIN). This ceremony brings a mix of memories, gratitude and also some emotion for this long 5-year journey that saw an outstanding cooperation between the partners – the Supreme Court, UNDP and the European Union.

Justice sector reform has been a longstanding priority of the cooperation between the European Union and the Government of Indonesia. Since 2002, the European Union has provided more than EUR 52 million to the justice sector reform in Indonesia through various programmes (including SUSTAIN).

An independent judiciary, adequately trained, financed, and equipped to administer justice in an objective, transparent, and efficient manner is a central pillar of any democratic society, and an enabler for human rights and rule of law.

The SUSTAIN project has significantly contributed to the implementation of the Indonesian Government's priorities identified in its Medium Term Development Plan 2015-2019 and in its  National Strategy on Access to Justice. With UNDP as implementing partner, SUSTAIN has been very efficient in supporting the Supreme Court's reform agenda to improve the transparency, integrity, and accountability of the judicial system as well as the quality of justice services for the people of Indonesia.

The achievements of the project speak for themselves:

1. The launch of the Supreme Court’s Whistleblowing System (SIWAS) in September 2016 was a very important and strategic step taken by the Supreme Court to regain public trust and confidence. SIWAS allows the court to respond to complaints in a more accountable and transparent manner.
2. The development of the Supreme Court's Competency-based Human Resources Management (CBHRM) policies and guidelines for recruitment, placement and career development. The launch of the enhanced Personnel Information System (SIKEP) in December 2018, integrating all relevant databases (SIWAS; SISDIKLAT) is key to improve the integrity, transparency, accountability and thus the reputation of the judiciary in the public’s eyes.
3. SUSTAIN's support to the training of more than 6,000 judges and court personnel, through  the development of curricula eg for Fisheries and Juvenile Certification Programmes, training of trainers,  and  specific trainings to Administrative Courts judges, Tax Court judges, registrars and bailiffs.
4. The enhanced case management and tracking system (SIPP), implemented since mid-2017, has been instrumental in improving court efficiency and reduced backlog. The system has been integrated from lower courts up to appellate level of all court jurisdictions (General Courts, Religious Courts, Military Courts, and the Administrative Courts), and provides access to legal information to the justice seekers.

The EU values the strong commitment of the Supreme Court and the pilot Courts and congratulates them for all the reform achievements that have been made with the support of the SUSTAIN project. The sustainability of these achievements will require continued commitment from the Government's budget to maintain all new systems developed and build further upon them. We welcome the Supreme Court's continued momentum to achieve its Blueprints for Judicial Reform to the benefit of Indonesian citizens, in particular the most vulnerable groups

These reforms matter, first and foremost, to the Indonesian citizens who deserve rule of law guaranteeing their rights, easy access to justice, legal certainty and predictability through an efficient, transparent and accountable judiciary.

These reforms matter also to economic growth and the improvement of the investment climate, a priority of the government A judiciary with capacity to deliver fast and cost-effective arbitration is key to investor confidence, in the context also of the intensification of our trade and investment links, currently negotiated under the Indonesia-EU CEPA.

We are confident that the achievements made with the support of SUSTAIN will be replicated and disseminated across the courts in Indonesia, reaching out also to citizens to make them aware of the progress achieved.

In conclusion, I would like to convey our deepest appreciation to the Supreme Court, the Ministry of National Development Planning  and the Ministry of Finance for their commitment and buy in into the SUSTAIN project.

My special thanks go to the SUSTAIN Team led by Mr Gilles Blanchi who has been central to the success of the project, and to UNDP, with which the EU is happy to cooperate further on new projects in support of Indonesia's policies and priorities.

Full appreciation also to my colleagues of the EU Delegation who have been actively supporting SUSTAIN's implementation over the past 5 years.

I wish you a fruitful discussion on "Realising a Transparent and Accountable Court: Challenges and Success".

Terima kasih.