NATIONAL INFO - P3PD training supports Lubuk Lawas Village in resolving boundary conflicts through coordination and the use of geospatial data from the Geospatial Information Agency.

The Village Government and Development Strengthening Program (P3PD) trains village officials in collaborative and communicative methods to address village boundary conflicts—an issue that can be quite challenging due to the tension it often creates within communities. 

One example of successful boundary resolution is Lubuk Lawas Village in Batang Asam District, West Tanjung Jabung Regency, Jambi Province. The village head, Wiwin Ardiansyah, said the problem was finally resolved after participating in P3PD training.

"Our village is new, so the transition from the old village to the new one left boundary lines unclear. But through P3PD training, we learned effective ways to address these boundary issues," he said.

For years, boundary disputes were difficult to resolve due to long-standing local customs, including shared rights to the river that runs through Lubuk Lawas Village. However, after P3PD training, Wiwin realized that using coordinates from the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) could help address these customary concerns more easily.

With this coordinate system, he also learned to minimize potential conflicts during boundary negotiations. "We were taught to coordinate with officials from neighboring villages. Without this system, friction could easily arise," said Wiwin.

Following the training in late 2023, Wiwin promptly met with neighboring village leaders to clarify boundaries. Since assuming office in 2019, he had not been able to establish precise boundary markers between his village and Lubuk Bernai Village. The P3PD training, however, provided him with fresh approaches to tackle the issue.

"We met with traditional, community, and religious leaders in Lubuk Bernai Village," he said. Wiwin spent nearly two months working with these leaders to reach a mutual understanding of each village's boundary coordinates.

"We visited the boundary area almost daily. Local leaders shared that their ancestors had lived and been buried there and that they had planted on this land for generations. This made the discussions sensitive," he said. 

Ultimately, through deliberation, they managed to resolve the boundary issue. The process even uncovered historical facts showing that residents of both villages share a common ancestor.

For context, P3PD is a government collaboration with the World Bank. As described by the Directorate General of Village Governance Development at the Ministry of Home Affairs, this program involves multiple government bodies: the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (PDTT), the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, and the Ministry of Finance. The program's goal is to enhance village officials' capacity to make quality village expenditures.*)

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