The co-operation should reveal itself through training government officials, by the exchange of knowledge and in the start of a national research project into sustainable environmental management. The activities are related to the recently started decentralisation in Indonesia.
Since Wahid's rise to power the country's system of government should be changed from centralised to a decentralised system with more regional autonomy. This will bring new risks to the exploitation of natural resources and ecological management. Insufficient control on legislation and sale of natural resources to economically interested parties could lead to unacceptable situations.
The centuries-old regional autonomy of district water boards in the Netherlands is an unknown construction in most countries. In addition, the Centre for Clean Technology and Environmental Policy (CSTM) at the UT has a lot of knowledge and experience concerning the regional management of environmental issues. The CSTM is at this moment conducting research at European level into sustainable water managament between European countries. Co-operation with the Technology and Development Group strengthens the expertise of the CSTM for non-Western countries. The co-operation between the UT and Indonesia has grown more intensive in the past years. The UT has set up research and training programmes for students and government officials on environmental management together with Indonesian partners. There is a UT-master's programme in co-operation with the West-Javanese university Padjajaran. Furthermore, there are contacts with the Institut Teknik Bandung. At the beginning of this year the faculty of Public Administration and Public Policy offered president Wahid an honorary doctorate. The ministry of the environment takes also part in the programmes. In November fifteen civil servant from the department in Jakarta took part in a educational programme at the UT. This will be repeated in the coming years.
