The IDB Group and the World Bank organized a joint seminar to share best practices on ICDD during the IDB 41st Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Jakarta. The two institutions have committed more than USD 1 billion to the program since 2009 to support the Government of Indonesia’s efforts to alleviate poverty and upgrade slums nation-wide. Integrated Community Driven Development (ICDD) is an integrated approach to development in which communities exercise control over the planning, decisions and resources of the development intervention.

Given the multi-faceted and integrated nature of this program, it has been the subject of various studies. It provides infrastructure to villages and through the Livelihood Enhancement Program, the project has created small revolving funds that have been an important source of financial inclusion for communities in the villages. “The success of the program has received international attention,” said Syed Hassan Alsagoff, the Project Team Leader from IDB. “Delegations from various countries including Sierra Leone and Gambia have visited Indonesia to learn more about how the Ministry of Public Works and Housing implements the program”.

Rudy S. Prawiradinata, Minister’s Expert Staff for Social Development and Poverty Reduction, shared key lessons on how villagers plan and decide on investments, control funds, implement the utilization of investments, account for funds, and maintain the facilities and infrastructure that they built. These activities are facilitated through national legislation. PNPM-Mandiri is one of the flagship poverty alleviation programs of the government of Indonesia, based on the ICDD model and supported by several multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors. PNPM-Mandiri is a Bahasa acronym translated as the ‘National Community Empowerment Program’ (NCEP)