Papua local governments face delays in Special Autonomy Fund disbursement

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Ribka Haluk has urged local governments across six provinces in the Papua region to fulfill their administrative commitments regarding the second phase of the 2026 Special Autonomy Fund (Otsus). As of early September 2026, 26 local governments at the provincial, regency, or city levels have failed to complete the necessary paperwork, threatening to delay development funds intended for the community.

To facilitate the process, the central government has eased the requirements for the second phase. Local governments are not required to account for 100 percent of the first phase budget; instead, a minimum of 50 percent realization, accompanied by performance reports, output achievements, and reports on the use of previous years' remaining funds and infrastructure additional funds, is sufficient. Haluk noted that the reporting process should be straightforward if regional programs are executed according to their original plans.