INFID and IBP Indonesia Launch Open Budget Survey 2025 in Jakarta

Jakarta, May 7, 2026 — The International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) together with the International Budget Partnership (IBP) Indonesia launched the Open Budget Survey (OBS) 2025 at the Pullman Hotel Thamrin, Jakarta, on Wednesday (7/5). This forum served as a meeting point for two strategic agendas: the launch of global budget governance survey results and the Technical Review phase of Indonesia's accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The forum was attended by Andrew Blazey, Deputy Head of the OECD Public Management and Budgeting Division, as the keynote speaker. Also present were representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, embassies of OECD partner countries, civil society organizations, academics, and national media. The event was opened with remarks from INFID Executive Director Siti Khoirun Ni'mah and IBP Indonesia Country Director Yuna Farhan.

The OBS 2025 results placed Indonesia in an honorable position in the region, with an increase in scores across all measured dimensions. In the transparency dimension, Indonesia scored 71 out of 100, up from 70 in the previous survey. In the oversight dimension, Indonesia's score jumped to 74 from 59 previously. In the public participation dimension, the score increased to 33 from 26—but still far below the functional threshold of 61.

Three interconnected pillars

In her presentation, IBP Indonesia Program Coordinator Dede Krishnadianty explained that OBS measures the quality of budget governance through three interconnected pillars: transparency, public participation, and oversight. The survey assesses 83 countries based on 142 indicators examined independently.

"OBS is not a ranking instrument, but a mirror of reform. Each cycle provides an empirical baseline to measure progress in budget governance," said Dede.

Indonesia's position in the region is considered honorable. For transparency, only the Philippines (76) outperformed Indonesia. Cambodia (54), Malaysia (51), and Vietnam (51) lagged far behind. For public participation, Indonesia (33) was also in second place after the Philippines (37). Notably, no ASEAN country surpassed the functional threshold of 61 for this dimension.

Civil society's notes

INFID Deputy Director Bona Tua P.P., in his presentation, conveyed three critical notes from civil society. First, formal transparency has not fully resulted in functional accountability. Second, public participation has not substantively influenced budget decision-making. Third, parliamentary and Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) oversight have not fully driven effective budget utilization.

"This OBS 2025 is a reflection of our journey, not the final report. The three pillars measured by OBS are the same pillars that form the foundation of fiscal democracy," said Bona.

Bona also emphasized the importance of the principle of the right to be informed—the right of citizens to know whether their aspirations are accepted, rejected, or accommodated in the state budget, and for what reasons. Without this principle, public participation will remain symbolic.

INFID has identified three reform priorities: consolidation of state financial reports into a single comprehensive annual document, integration of the Annual Financing Strategy with the state budget documents discussed by the House of Representatives (DPR), and institutionalization of public participation throughout the budget cycle.

Government response

Director of State Budget Preparation at the Ministry of Finance, Rofyanto Kurniawan, appreciated Indonesia's score increase across all dimensions of OBS 2025. He affirmed that the government continues to strengthen budget transparency efforts through various channels, including official websites, social media, outreach to universities, and the regular "APBN Kita" press conferences.

"We must ensure that public participation is not merely a formality. The challenge is how to accommodate public aspirations, including those of the vulnerable and marginalized, and then implement them in budget formulation," said Rofyanto.

The Ministry of Finance is also collaborating with UNICEF and IBP to develop a Landscape Analysis of Public Participation in Public Finance and Budget Process as an effort to enhance public participation in the future budgeting process.

Meanwhile, from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Andi Ulya Witsqa explained the progress of Indonesia's accession process to the OECD. Currently, Indonesia is in the Technical Review stage, where 226 out of 240 OECD legal instruments align with Indonesian regulations and policies. Indonesia will be evaluated through questionnaire circulation and visits from the OECD assessment team throughout 2026.

"Involvement of non-governmental stakeholders, including civil society, is a crucial part of the accession process. The OECD emphasizes effective policy implementation, not just formal adoption," said Andi.

OECD Standards and Budget Governance

In his keynote speech, Andrew Blazey stated that the four Core Principles formulated by the OECD Senior Budget Officials (SBO) Committee are highly consistent with the three pillars measured by OBS. These four principles are: spending better through evidence-based allocation, capacity to face fiscal challenges sustainably, openness and accessibility of public spending, and effective parliamentary oversight coupled with public involvement.

Blazey also highlighted the experiences of peer countries that have completed the accession process—such as Costa Rica and Colombia—where successful reforms were those born from an inclusive process from the outset.

Dialogue forum and follow-up

Following the presentation sessions, the forum continued with an open dialogue between speakers and participants. Several issues emerged, including: the openness of budget documents outside Jakarta, the capacity of the DPR in reviewing the state budget, the role of Bappenas in the National Development Planning Forum (Musrenbang), and the urgency of establishing a Parliamentary Budget Office or an independent fiscal institution, which Indonesia currently lacks.

INFID expressed its commitment to summarizing the dialogue results into a summary note that will be contributed to the National Team for Preparation and Acceleration of Indonesia's Membership in the OECD. This summary note will form part of civil society's input for the ongoing Technical Review process of accession.

"OECD accession is not a ceremonial agenda. It is an agenda for transforming public financial governance. Formal consultation spaces between the National Accession Team and civil society need to be institutionalized so as not to depend on ad-hoc initiatives," said INFID Executive Director Siti Khoirun Ni'mah in her remarks.