The Challenge

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was a set of development agendas that pushed the nations of the world to achieve a set of pre- declared targets in order to impart a better world for people. The MDGs is a blueprint agreed by countries and development institutions which, if effectively implemented, would offer virtuous effects from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to ensuring universal access to education – by a set deadline of 2015. This is an effort to galvanize unprecedented efforts to reach out and meet the needs of the worlds poorest. This, for ID COMM, is an extremely important case.

The drawbacks of the MDGs is one share with many other global initiatives; inspirational by design but utterly difficult to turn into actions. In the context of MDGs at large, there was always an issue with how MDGs and its concepts were understood, especially how it can function as a tool or parameter to benchmark efforts and policies that thrive to achieve better livelihood. There were of course issues with converting ideas into actions, especially in a country like Indonesia where distribution of resources are hardly equal.

For the Office of the Special Envoy (OSE), those set of challenges above are even more made complex with challenges like establishing presence in the midst of Indonesian actors: relevant technical ministries, CSOs, and other stakeholders. There was also a constant need to showcase the progress made in Indonesia which may inspire the movement at a global level but also to attract additional support to achieve greater impact. It was ID COMM’s assigned task to assist the OSE in ensuring that more people understand what MDGs is, how to promote that in a more realistic everyday life scenario, and to promote the movement at a more grass root level as to avoid unnecessary high-level politics at play.

Our Approach

Understanding the mission and the target audience we would need to work with in order to perform, ID COMM immediately laid down a strategic outreach and communication plan. The avenue to fully achieve that relied on 4 main activity prongs: we constantly ensured that MDGs was on the map and that people at all levels – international, national, and subnational – are aware of what the goals are and how they can be achieved. This was a critical first step to open paths to a deeper engagement with stakeholders.

ID COMM also ensured that the Indonesian MDGs Awards became well known, and we were so involved that ID COMM was even part of the team that refined the concept and criteria of the awards, and then later served as judge. The awards was then replicated to reach a youth category which could become a catalyze of involving the younger audience in understanding MDGs, which we saw as un uber critical step to achieve.

Lastly, ID COMM also assisted in the development of the Pencerah Nusantara concept where we helped not only in conceptualizing it but to also ensure that it reached the wider audience. The way we executed the strategy relied on ID COMM’s seasoned experience in developing communication collaterals, engage with relevant stakeholders, host and implement events, and became hub for media relations.

The Result

During our work with the OSE, we managed to assist the office with producing consistent publications in lieu of MDGs with various narrative archetypes to suit different audiences both at national and subnational level. We also help the office establish robust relations with key media which allows a heightened access and buy in from the media.

Through the various events and awards we helped organize, more youth became more aware with what MDGs thrive to achieve and we at ID COMM believed this was one of our centerpiece of achievements in this case.

Lastly but equally important, ID COMM helped the OSE in developing and MDGs case study database which serves as a fountain of knowledge and reference in regards to the various efforts and progress related to how Indonesia is contributing to itself and to the world to make it a better place for everyone.