Banda Aceh, December 28, 2023 – The Aceh Institute of Social and Political Studies (LaKaspia) successfully held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) about “Special Autonomy in Aceh and its Impact on Economic, Social, Cultural, Educational, Political, and Security Aspects.” This event aimed to evaluate the impacts and achievements of the implementation of UURI Number 11 of 2006 concerning Governance of Aceh, after 18 years of its enactment. The event took place at Escape Green Bistro, Jln. Politeknik Aceh, Bineh Krueng Aceh, on Thursday, December 28, 2023, from 09:00 AM to 01:00 PM.
In his official invitation, LaKaspia Director Halik called on participants from various sectors, including government, academics, non-governmental organizations, journalists, women’s activists, youth organizations, former combatants, and community leaders, to actively participate in this discussion.
The implementation of special autonomy in Aceh, which has been in place for nearly two decades, has yet to fully enhance the welfare and provide justice for the community after armed conflict and tsunami disaster hit. Data indicates that Aceh still faces high poverty levels, limited healthcare services, and underdeveloped agricultural and fisheries sectors. Therefore, this FGD aims to reflect and comprehensively evaluate the implementation of special autonomy in Aceh, including assessing the synergy between the Aceh Government and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia.
The main goal of this FGD is to evaluate the impacts and achievements of the implementation of the Aceh Governance Law and to identify concrete steps to support better achievements and to sustain peace in Aceh. It is hoped that through this discussion, constructive feedback and suggestions will be generated to improve the situation and conditions of the people of Aceh.
The event was facilitated by Zulfikar Muhammad and attended by 31 active participants from various backgrounds. The FGD is expected to produce notes and recommendations that will be useful in encouraging the achievement of Aceh’s peace goals more optimally and sustainably.*@