INTERNAL MEETING LEUSER INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
(Promote Consolidation to Improve Performance & Professionalism  )

6 October 2011
Leuser International Foundation held an internal meeting in Sibolangit on 5-6 October 2011.  This meeting was held following the forming of a new Board of Directors (BoD) of  the Leuser Internaitional Foundation by the Board of ‘Trustees for the period 2011 – 2016 in Jakarta on 7 July 2011.  The composisiton of the new Board of Directors is as follows (1) Jamal M. Gawi (Chairperson); (2) Hendardi (Vice Chairperson); (3) Debra H Yatim (Vice Chairperson); (4) Doris Pandjaitan (Vice Chairperson); (5) Dwiyanto Prihartono (Secretary); (6) Syarifah Nuly Nazlia (Vice Secretary); and (7) Tuti Pujiarti (Treasurer).

This Internal Meeting was attended by representatives from the Board of Directors (Jamal M. Gawi, Dwiyanto Prihartono, dan Tuti Pujiarti); the Executive Chairperson  (Agus Halim), A&F Manager (Ferdiansyah), Manager of Keloang Gajah Cooperative & Micro Finance Projects (Faisal), Leaders of Ongoing Projects (Syahrul/Aceh Watershed Protection Programme-NZAid;  Burhanuddin/Conservation Village and Tourism Program -Exxonmobil; Tarmizi/Rhino Survey-USFWS; Abu Lubis/ Aceh Selatan-Singkil Strategic Area Protection Program for Sustainable Community-Based  Conservation-TFCA and LIF staff such as Cut Dian (Fund Raising), Mira Rozanti (Deputy A & F Manager), Joseph Harvey (Communication Officer) , Diana (Finance Staff) and Ade (IT staff).  These were accompanied by Prof. Zainal A. Pian as the resource person.

The purpose of this internal meeting of the ;LIF is  (1.) To conduct an evaluation of the activities that have been implemented  and benefit from the lessons learned for the realization of the strategic program in the future; (2.)  Perform internal consolidation within the LIF, especially by fine tuning the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to enhance the management system  of the Foundation with emphasis on good governance, transparency, and a high level of accountability; (3.) Formulate a Strategic Plan for the Leuser International Foundation for a five year period from 2012 to 2016 as a basis for the formulation of various programs relating to the mission of the LIF in conserving the Leuser Ecosystem in a systematic and well integrated manner;  (4.) and discuss the progress of each project and resolve  gaps which may appear in the implementation process so that the objectives, outputs, and outcomes can be optimized; and (5.) Promote the sense of unity and a strong motivation to carry out the LIF’s mission, especially with regard to the challenges and obstacles faced by the LIF so far at the local, district, provincial, and national levels.

This internal meeting turned out to be very dynamic with full active participation from all participants not only in open discussion forums but also in Focused Group Discussions (FGD). Learning from previous project experience, the meeting was able to name 11 flagship programs of the LIF. These are (1) Conservation of Wildlife; (2) Wildlife Research; (3) Forest Rehabilitation; (4) Environmental Education; (5) Livelihood; (6) Watershed Management; (7) Capacity Building; (8) Microcredit Scheme; (9) Renewable Energy; (10) Spatial Planning; and (11) REDD+. The flagship programs in numbers 1 to 10 above have been proven effective in 13 districts / cities in the Leuser Ecosystem through several projects undertaken by the LIF so far in collaboration with the provincial /district /subdistrict /and village levels of government, Key Stakeholders ( Bappeda,  Plantation and Forestry Service,  BKSDA ,  BBTNGL,  BPKEL, Aceh Green, Bapedalda,  BPDAS,  ICRAF,  and several local NGOs), and local communities. The draft of the Strategic Plan for 2012-2016 was also discussed along with the updating of the SOP document.

In principle,  this LIF’s internal meeting went on very smoothly in full harmony and all the participants are optimistic to contribute towards the implementation of conservation programs in the Leuser Ecosystem in the future.  As a foundation that has long been a partner to the government in the implementation of conservation programs in the Leuser Ecosystem (established since July 23, 1994), the LIF  will continue to improve its capacity to provide  optimum services in a professional manner in accordance with its mandate (Presidential Decree No. 33 of 1998).  God willing the LIF will constantly maintain a high sense of commitment in carrying out its mission in accordance with the wishes of its founders, H. Bustanil Arifin, SH, H. Abdul Rachman Ramly, Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Hasan, MBA, Prof. Dr. Syamsuddin Mahmud, Drs. H. Sayed Mudhahar Ahmad, Drs. Nurdin Abdul Rachman, Drs. H. Teuku Iskandar and Mike Griffiths.