Leadership transitions are part of democracy, but essential services such as education, healthcare and civil registration must keep running. A new learning study by the Ministry of Home Affairs, supported by SKALA, documents how 12 Acting Regional Heads sustained basic service delivery during Indonesia’s 2024 simultaneous regional elections. Drawing on experiences from Bogor, Purwakarta and Maybrat, it shows how to keep development priorities on track, sustain services communities already rely on, and address challenges that extend beyond a single term of leadership.
The Papua Barat Daya Provincial Government launched the Cenderawasih Portal in Sorong on 22 October 2026, an integrated platform that helps agencies manage, verify and share development data under Indonesia’s One Data (Satu Data Indonesia) policy. Featuring 476 datasets and thematic dashboards on Minimum Service Standards, gender equality, disability and social inclusion, the portal supports evidence-based planning and more inclusive basic services. It was developed with support from the Australia-Indonesia Partnership Program, SKALA.
The Papua Selatan Provincial Government launched SIRIOS, GEMAS Ha-Anim and PASSTI Ha-Anim in Merauke on 28 September 2026. Together, the three initiatives strengthen household-level data collection, deliver cash assistance to Indigenous Papuan (OAP) families with infants aged 0–12 months, and integrate regional data through a One Data portal. Developed with the Merauke, Asmat, Mappi and Boven Digoel regency governments and supported by the Australia-Indonesia Partnership, SKALA, the initiatives aim to make planning, budgeting and basic services more targeted and responsive to community needs.
The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Government launched its Executive Dashboard on 3 November 2026 in Mataram to strengthen data-driven development. The platform brings together ten key features, from poverty and employment to regional budget implementation, Minimum Service Standards (SPM) in health and government agency performance, so provincial leaders can monitor progress, identify gaps and make evidence-based decisions. Built on the NTB One Data initiative and supported by the Australian Government through the SKALA program, the dashboard aims to improve the delivery of inclusive basic services for communities across NTB.
Bappenas, FITRA, and SKALA have launched SEKAR Inklusif, an online learning management system (LMS) that strengthens meaningful public participation in development planning and budgeting. Through five self-paced modules that are accessible to people with disabilities, the platform helps civil society organisations, government officials, academics, journalists, and the general public understand public budgets, develop evidence-based proposals, and monitor implementation so that development benefits reach those who need them most.
A Bappenas study reveals that the average local tax ratio (LTR) fell from 1.22 per cent in 2024 to 1.12 per cent in 2025, underscoring the fragility of subnational fiscal capacity and continued heavy reliance on central transfers. Disparities between regions remain stark, with Bali recording the highest LTR (4.60 per cent) and West Papua the lowest (0.39 per cent). The study emphasises that strategies to raise own-source revenue must reflect each region’s economic structure, institutional capacity, and tax base, and must prioritise data and governance reform over higher tax rates. The study was supported by SKALA.
More than 90 per cent of Maluku is ocean, connecting 1,422 islands, which makes sea-level rise a development issue that reaches homes, livelihoods and access to basic services. At a policy dialogue convened in Ambon on 25 September 2026 by the Ministry of PPN/Bappenas with SKALA’s support, national and local governments, academics and development partners discussed how risk analysis can be built into regional planning. Analysis from SEPAKAT, which links spatial data with socioeconomic data including DTSEN, shows that around 33,143 hectares of Maluku could be affected under a one-metre sea-level rise scenario, along with 18 health facilities, 53 education facilities and an estimated 40,298 people. These findings give the province a stronger evidence base for setting priorities and planning development that is adaptive and protects the most vulnerable communities.
Since launching the Lawamena Satu Data Portal on 25 May 2026, the Maluku Provincial Government has continued to strengthen the quality, integration and use of regional development data. With support from SKALA, stakeholders convened a consolidation forum and a guidelines workshop in Ambon in August 2026 to review progress, identify priority datasets such as more detailed disability data, and refine the portal’s governance and user guidance. The focus is now shifting from platform development to utilisation and operational sustainability, with consistent data updates and integration with district, city and ministry portals, so that Lawamena can become Maluku’s single source of truth for development planning.
Papua Tengah is strengthening links between poverty reduction, gender equality and basic service delivery in regional development planning, with a poverty rate of 30.41 per cent as of March 2026 against 8.07 per cent nationally. At a coordination meeting in Nabire on 3–4 September 2026, about 100 participants from provincial agencies and six districts, supported by SKALA, applied the Gender Analysis Pathway (GAP) and mapped the status of gender mainstreaming in their districts. The meeting produced agreed follow-up priorities: establishing gender mainstreaming working groups, accelerating local regulations, and integrating gender mainstreaming more systematically into planning and budgeting so that basic services become more accessible to women, children, people with disability and Indigenous Papuans.
