Open Society Foundations Appoint New Executive Director in Indonesia

NEW YORK—The Open Society Foundations announced today that Darmawan Triwibowo, a human rights activist who has worked on economic advancement for more than a decade, will take the helm of the organization’s Indonesia foundation starting February 1.

Triwibowo will serve as executive director of the TIFA Foundation, overseeing the Open Society Foundations’ efforts in Indonesia to strengthen the rule of law and protect the rights of all citizens. Triwibowo most recently led the food justice component of the Indonesian economic justice campaign at Oxfam in Indonesia. He previously held positions at the Indonesia Parliamentary Center, an advocacy organization that promotes an effective parliament, and worked for Progressio, an international development charity, in Timor Leste. He is a founder of the Indonesian think tank Perkumpulan Prakarsa, which studies sustainable development, poverty and inequality, and fiscal and welfare policies.

“Darmawan’s strong background in policy advocacy and his vast knowledge of civil society organizations in Southeast Asia will be of great value to our colleagues in Indonesia and around the world,” said Chris Stone, president of the Open Society Foundations. “The TIFA Foundation has long been a vital part of our network, and I am confident that under Darmawan’s leadership the organization will thrive.”

Triwibowo’s experience includes project management, program planning, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity building for key development campaigns including food security, climate change, extractive industry transparency, aid effectiveness, and inequality. As campaign and advocacy coordinator at Oxfam, he was actively engaged in the post-2015 development processes that led to the United Nations’ adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals in September.

“The Open Society Foundations are prominent among civil society organizations in Indonesia and have a solid track record for promoting open society in this country,” Triwibowo said. “I am honored to serve as executive director of the TIFA Foundation and to help strengthen its work.”

In 2012, Triwibowo received his master’s degree in public policy and administration from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, through the United States Agency for International Development’s Program to Extend Scholarships and Training to Achieve Sustainable Impacts. He earned an MSc in planning and public policy from the University of Indonesia, Jakarta, and a BSc in agriculture from Bogor Agricultural University.

The Open Society Foundations’ work in Indonesia focuses on democracy and governance. The TIFA Foundation promotes transparency and accountability, pluralism, inclusion, and equality, and works to strengthen justice reform and rule of law, including by opening up access to justice for marginalized members of society and advocating transitional justice in selected areas. The foundation pursues its mission primarily through partnerships with civil society.

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The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. Working with local communities in more than 100 countries, the Open Society Foundations support justice and human rights, freedom of expression, and access to public health and education.