SKALA and PARTISIPA Share Lessons on Climate-Resilient Planning in Indonesia and Timor-Leste

The impact of climate change is increasingly affecting the delivery of public services, infrastructure, and socio-economic resilience in many countries. Indonesia and Timor-Leste are among the regions facing growing risks of extreme weather events, especially in densely populated coastal areas that are vital to their economies. There is an urgent need for climate-resilient development planning at both national and subnational levels.

On 10 October 2025, the Australia-Indonesia Partnership Programs SKALA (Synergy and Collaboration for Basic Service Acceleration) in Indonesia and PARTISIPA in Timor-Leste held a joint online learning session. Around 30 PARTISIPA team members from Dili and the SKALA team from Jakarta and Mataram came together to share their experiences of integrating climate perspectives into development planning for public service delivery at the subnational level.

SKALA supports subnational governments in Indonesia in improving basic services by strengthening governance in four key areas: Public Financial Management, Minimum Service Standards, Data and Analysis, and Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI). PARTISIPA works in partnership with the Government of Timor-Leste to strengthen subnational administration and improve rural infrastructure services, specifically roads and water systems. Despite their different country contexts and program entry points, both initiatives share the same goal: ensuring responsive, inclusive and evidence-based development planning.

At the opening session, Bethany Davies, SKALA’s Director of MERL and Performance, stressed the need to apply a climate lens in efforts to improve basic services. She noted that climate change disrupts education, health, and local economies, so it must be treated as a cross-cutting issue rather than a sectoral one.

Grace Palayukan, SKALA’s Data and Analytics Lead, explained how a data-driven approach serves as the foundation for climate planning. In collaboration with Bappenas and UN Global Pulse, SKALA analysed the impacts of sea-level rise in five Indonesian provinces and integrated the results into the SEPAKAT system. This approach enables local governments to identify risks, map vulnerable groups, and design policies that adapt to climate threats.

From a policy perspective, Iskhak Fatonie, SKALA’s Policy and Partnership Lead, shared how SKALA works with provincial governments and policy analyst networks to strengthen climate responses in regional planning. He emphasised the importance of collaboration between governments, academia and civil society to ensure that policy recommendations result in tangible action.

The PARTISIPA team from Timor-Leste described the severe impact of climate risks on rural infrastructure and public services. These challenges intensify because of geography, limited access, and evolving institutional capacity. Insights from Indonesia broadened their understanding of how to incorporate climate risk into planning in different social, fiscal, and institutional contexts.

The learning exchange showed that no single approach suits every context. Effective climate action requires an understanding of local conditions, reliable data, institutional capacity, and strong stakeholder commitment. SKALA and PARTISIPA agreed to continue such dialogues to strengthen regional collaboration on climate resilience in the Indo-Pacific.

Supported by the Australian Government, this joint initiative promotes climate-resilient, inclusive, and evidence-based development governance. Through collaboration and knowledge exchange across countries, more local governments can protect communities from climate risks and ensure the sustainability of basic services for future generations.