STRENGTHENING THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR STBM IN EAST NUSA TENGGARA (NTT) PROVINCE Reflections from Final Project Learning Event with Change Agents and Delivery Team June 2016 A more conducive enabling environment for STBM in the NTT Province has been achieved through strengthening the local Government s commitments to STBM, building their capacities for coordination and implementation of the approach in line with the national strategy and facilitating advocacy for improved budget availability; In the future, upfront commitments could be further strengthened by targeting both the district executive and legislative members through the institutional triggering approach that has now been increasingly adopted globally as part of the CLTS implementation. Legislative authority involvement from the start may have accelerated budgeting and regulation approval. In addition to having good understanding of the government s development planning cycle (and funding decisions), collaboration with allies ie development partners and media working in the same province or district could have helped strengthen the results of budget advocacy. Introduction One of the key outcomes of the CS-WASH Fund is improved performance of actors in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) enabling environment. This paper presents the experiences and lessons learned of Plan International Indonesia in strengthening and complementing the enabling environment for scaling up and sustaining the STBM Project in the East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT in Indonesia). STBM, the Indonesian abbreviation for Community Based Total Sanitation, was launched as the national strategy for sanitation and hygiene behavior change through community empowerment. STBM has contributed significantly to accelerating progress in sanitation improvement particularly in rural areas. The average annual growth of sanitation coverage, only 0.78% during the 1993-2006 period, has increased to 3 % since the launching of CLTS in 2006 which developed into STBM in 2008 1. The 2015-2019 Medium Term National Development Plan specified STBM as the approach towards universal access to sanitation. STBM involves three strategic components of Demand, Supply and Enabling Environment. The Enabling Environment component seeks to promote synergy among the inter sectoral and inter-program efforts, enforcement of STBM related regulations and learning activities to improve comprehension among key stakeholders of the STBM principles and approach. As of May 2017, STBM has been implemented in 34.000 villages or 42 percent of the total 81,874 villages and to date 8,788 villages have been declared ODF 2. Insufficient cross sectoral partnership at the central level and lack of local governments commitment that leads to limited funding and inadequate capacity for effective implementation have been identified as some of the key constraints to having STBM implemented across the country. In Indonesia, the water and sanitation sector is highly decentralized, with budgets and responsibilities largely devolved to lower levels of government such provinces and districts. 1 STBM Road Map 2015-2019, Ministry of Health 2 STBM.org/monev
INDONESIA Strengthening the enabling environment for STBM in NTT, Plan International Indonesia and Plan International Australia P a g e 2 The Project Objectives The STBM Project seeks to support the District governments in the NTT Province ensure their communities benefit from sustainable and inclusive results of STBM implementation. Its enabling environment component specifically aims for the following targets The governments in the five supported districts (Kupang, Ende, Ngada, East Manggarai and Sabu Raijua) formally implement STBM in 150 villages, referred to as the pilot villages. The five districts and 15 sub-districts have functional STBM coordinating committees (officially named STBM Working Groups at District and STBM Teams at sub-district level) District and sub-district-level STBM roadmaps prepared with adequate budgets to replicate STBM activities beyond the pilot areas. The five district governments independently implement STBM as the national strategy and allocate budget for STBM in the 2016 Annual District Development Budget (APBD). District and sub-district government officials actively support the involvement of women and People with Disability (PwD) in STBM. NTT Province Recognized as one the provinces with STBM implementation at scale, NTT has made significant progress in sanitation improvement. The coverage has increased from 37 percent in 2013, the lowest among the 34 provinces, to 79% in 2016 which is above the national average of 69% 3. As of 2015, 61 % of its 3270 villages have implemented STBM and 905 villages have been verified ODF 4 Prior to the Project, the recognition of STBM as a strategic program for sanitation improvement in NTT was rather limited. The majority of officials in the five districts had little knowledge of STBM. As of 2013, STBM had not yet been included in the Mid Term District Development Plans. Consequently, the annual allocation for STBM from the development budget was very low, only USD 1,000-2,500 per year or 0.01% of the total budget and far below the minimum of 10 % (excluding budget for salaries) stipulated in the 2015-2019 National STBM Road Map. Local regulations on sanitation and well-functioning coordinating bodies, among the key indicators for the enabling environment, were equally lacking. Apart from Sabu Raijua District where a regulation on sanitation improvement through provision of subsidies had been issued, none of the other four districts had any STBM-related regulations. The STBM Working Groups, while already established at the Provincial level and in 3 of the 5 districts as the coordinating agencies, were not fully functioning. At the sub-district and village levels, no STBM coordinating team had been established. Key Interventions The Project s interventions under the enabling environment component were strongly aligned to the STBM policy and national guidelines. Strengthening the local government s commitments through the following: Securing upfront commitments for STBM implementation, including financial, personnel and time commitments which was formalized with signed agreements between Plan International and the Provincial and District STBM coordinating agencies. 3 www.stbm-indonesia.org/monev 4 ibid
INDONESIA Strengthening the enabling environment for STBM in NTT, Plan International Indonesia and Plan International Australia P a g e 3 STBM socialization at the provincial and district level through roadshows to bolster awareness of STBM and ensure common vision for results of STBM implementation through partnership in the following four years; Development of STBM roadmaps and budgeting plans through participatory workshops involving the district Working Groups and representatives from the provincial and subdistrict levels Building the capacity for STBM implementation at the district, sub-district and village levels. Trainings for district WASH working groups and sub-district STBM teams on implementation, monitoring and verification, environmental protection and Disaster Risks Reduction (DRR); Learning-by-doing approach through co-facilitation of STBM triggering, monitoring of progress and outcomes; Regular learning events to promote cross-fertilization among the districts. Advocacy initiatives Budget advocacy through participation of the STBM Teams and Working Groups in the annual budget planning process at the sub-district and district level respectively to influence the local government s planning and funding decision making processes; Advocacy for support from the District Heads and for key stakeholders to institutionalize STBM in sanitation programs with specific targets; STBM Newsletters and publicity of key initiatives and best practices through the national STBM knowledge hub; Presentations at national events by the participating district Governments; Engagement of traditional leaders and mass media to help strengthen the accountability of local governments; Key Achievements The Five Districts have developed strong commitments to STBM, demonstrated as follows Five-year STBM Roadmaps have been developed, enabling the respective stakeholders to have, for the first time, a common goal with specified time line for ODF attainment by 2019 STBM has been included in the Mid Term Development Plans of the five districts; Funds have been allocated for STBM from the District Development Budget (APBD) as well as from the various grant schemes of the Central Government; o A total of US$ 1.6 million was allocated from the 2015 APBDs of the 5 districts for replicating the pilot STBM implementation. Funding for STBM replication has continued to be part of the 2016 and 2017 APBDs; o A number of villages have started to allocate funds from the Village Development Budget; Coordinating agencies for STBM well established and functioning at the Provincial, District, Sub-District and village levels. Improved coordination of STBM activities across departments, between levels of local governments and among stakeholders at the respective level from the province to the participating villages. o During joint reflection events, the Provincial and Districts Working Groups reported significant involvement of related agencies including Health, Public
INDONESIA Strengthening the enabling environment for STBM in NTT, Plan International Indonesia and Plan International Australia P a g e 4 Works, Education, Environment Protection, Women Empowerment and Children Protection and Cooperatives and Industry, in supporting STBM activities. The Provincial Working Group has carried out its functions as per the STBM policy including finalization of the Provincial Road Map and budget advocacy. It has provided technical and advocacy support to the district level as well as monitoring of each of the districts performance in the pilot and replication villages. 15 Districts STBM working groups and 23 sub-districts STBM teams, covering the pilot and replication villages, have been established and functioning. They have participated in budget advocacy activities, improved the planning process for STBM implementation and supported implementation activities at the village level up to the ODF verification; 150 pilot and 205 replication villages have established STBM teams under the village heads decrees. They have facilitated STBM implementation, advocated for funding from the Village Development Fund and facilitated verification of 305 STBM villages (50 more villages yet to be verified); Operational budget has been allocated for the coordinating agencies at each level from the annual development funds; Strengthened policy down to village level on sanitation improvement using the STBM approach District level regulations on STBM have been issued to ensure funding stability and support from all related sectors: 2014 District Regulation on STBM issued in Ende by the District Parliament with endorsement of the Bupati (Head of District); Bupati s Regulation on STBM issued in East Manggarai and Ngada and Bupati s Instructions on STBM in Kupang and Sabu Raijua; Village Regulations on STBM as well as traditional Custom Law have been issued by a number of villages to help sustain the behavior change results; Increased capacity of implementing agencies Improved availability of trained STBM facilitators: Of the 103 sanitarians deployed as STBM facilitators across the five districts, an average of 88 percent has been active, higher than the provincial rate of 77 percent and the national rate of 69 percent 5 ODF attainment as mentioned above. Supporting Factors/ / things that went well The Project is in line with the national Government strategy for sanitation improvement. It also supports the implementation of policies on village development stipulated in the regulations on village development and provision of village funds issued in 2014. It is in line with the Provincial Government s agenda to promote village based development in the province. Reaffirmation of National Commitment to STBM: During the Project implementation period, the National Government reaffirmed its commitment to STBM by, among other things, including it in the 2015-2019 Mid Term National Development Plan, launching a target to achieve universal coverage by 2019 and launching the 2015-2019 National STBM Roadmap; Securing upfront commitments: The strategy to obtain the District Governments commitments not only to piloting STBM in the 150 villages but also to replicating it, using their own funding resources, in an additional 205 villages and specifying these in the MoU has been effective. 5 STBM Smart : smart phone based application for STBM monitoring and evaluation
INDONESIA Strengthening the enabling environment for STBM in NTT, Plan International Indonesia and Plan International Australia P a g e 5 Budget advocacy initiative: Although not initially planned, the Project soon learned of the need for a more intensive budget advocacy to improve funding availability for implementation of the District STBM Road Maps. The Project facilitated training on budget advocacy for the district STBM Working Groups who subsequently advocated with the local parliaments for funding allocation. This approach has also provided a learning opportunity for other development partners working on STBM. 'STBM Socialisation' through multiple consultations, orientation meetings, field visits by provincial and district personnel to sites that had already benefited from the approach, has helped improve understanding at the provincial and district levels. Support from the political authorities (Bupatis) was essential not only in securing district level financial allocations, but also in raising the profile of STBM at the community level. The Bupatis have become a strong voice in raising poor sanitation as an issue for local health. There has been improved awareness of the importance of STBM among the district Governments and members of DPRD (district parliaments) particularly the Commission C; Capacity development that aims at enabling the Districts to independently implement STBM. This includes, among other things, promoting integration into the existing programs of the relevant agencies, making STBM part of the agencies plan of actions in line with the Districts Mid-term Development Plan, facilitating cross learning among villages as well as the Project staff working at the offices of Planning or Health Agencies; Constraining Factors Despite continuing improvement, the misconception among many Government agencies about STBM being mainly the mandate of the Health Sector and water supply of the Ministry of Public Works and People s Housing still prevails. The naming of the working groups as STBM Working Group as well as Water and Sanitation Working Group, starting at the national level, might have some effect on the STBM profile; Conflicting priorities with other duties and occasional reassignment of the working group members to other duties often disrupt the coordination activities. STBM interventions and constructions of water supply facilities led by the Public Works Agency do not always converge; The vast areas and long distances to be covered to visit village communities create challenges for travel budgets; Not all health centres have doctors and sanitarians, causing lack of technical leadership at the frontline that is particularly required by the villages. The village authorities required guides and technical support for utilizing the Village Fund. The capacity of many sanitarians to support them is still inadequate. Lessons learned Ensure strong commitment at all levels: Local political support is crucial in decentralized Indonesia. The Project has played a critical role in obtaining such support which has resulted in the five Districts STBM Roadmaps, inclusion of STBM in the Mid-Term Development Plans and issuance of regulations to strengthen the enabling environment for STBM. It has enabled replication in 205 villages using the district development budgets. In the future, upfront commitments could be further strengthened by targeting both the district executive and legislative members through the institutional triggering approach that has now been increasingly adopted globally as part of the CLTS implementation. Legislative authority involvement from the start may have accelerated budgeting and regulation approval. The importance of budget advocacy: The budget advocacy initiative has helped the replication of the pilot STBM. In Indonesia, budgetary processes are complex. Successful budget advocacy relies strongly on the ability of the village and sub-district teams to fight
INDONESIA Strengthening the enabling environment for STBM in NTT, Plan International Indonesia and Plan International Australia P a g e 6 for STBM during the annual development planning meetings at the respective level. Supporting evidence or data and ability to communicate with the local parliament representatives are required. The timing of advocacy was important to ensure there were no missed opportunities in the government s funding cycle. In addition to having good understanding of the government s development planning cycle (and funding decisions), collaboration with allies ie development partners and media working in the same province or district could have helped strengthen the results. Strive for effective capacity building: To enable district leadership in STBM, the capacity for planning, implementation, coordination and monitoring and evaluation as well as advocacy is crucial. The Project s approach to reinforcing training, facilitated by experienced and qualified trainers, with peer learning and continuing coaching/mentoring has been effective in building the capacities of the STBM teams. Now that the definition of the role of the local government has been clearly defined in the national STBM Roadmap, this should be the basis for building the capacity of local government to carry out each role. The Civil Society Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Fund, an investment of Australia s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), is supporting 13 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to deliver 29 WASH projects in 19 countries over the years 2013 to 2018. The objective is to enhance the health and quality of life of the poor and vulnerable by improving sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene. It aims to directly benefit 3.5 million people in target populations and indirectly over 10 million people. The Fund focusses on the enabling environment. The Community Based Total Sanitation Project in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT in Indonesia) Province is implemented by Plan International Indonesia in collaboration with Plan International Australia with support from the Fund. The goal of the Project is Rural Indonesia has access to improved sanitation facilities and practise hygiene behaviours of the Government of Indonesia s (GoI) National Sanitation Policy entitled Community Based Total Sanitation (known as STBM policy). The Project has to date benefited 363,000 people. This learning brief is one of four, prepared with the aim to share learning with practitioners and WASH learning networks and help inform future WASH programming within Plan International and beyond.