Throughout 2025, our work in Indonesia reaffirmed two closely linked principles. Firstly, holistic security is strongest when it is grounded in the knowledge and lived experience of those defenders most exposed to risk. Secondly, scaling access to protection depends on strengthening locally rooted organisations and networks that can provide support at scale. Our strategic partnership with the Tifa Foundation and the Integrated Security Service Provider Network (JPLKI) brought these principles together in practice – helping to strengthen a national protection ecosystem rooted in community-led strategies and regional solidarity.
The Tifa Foundation plays a unique role in Indonesia’s protection landscape, acting not only as a solidarity partner, but as a key provider and convenor within the holistic security ecosystem. Through its work with the JPLKI, Tifa supports and sustains locally led protection responses for civil society actors defending human rights, the environment, free media, and access to justice. At Tifa’s invitation, our safety and security team joined their annual evaluation meeting in Jakarta in February 2025, which brought together grassroots holistic security practitioners, wellbeing providers, and protection champions from across Indonesia. This gathering laid the groundwork for a deeper phase of collaboration focused on tailored mentoring and capacity-sharing with JPLKI members and Tifa staff.
Following this meeting, we co-led workshops and provided remote accompaniment across three priority areas: reinforcing JPLKI’s National Secretariat and Steering Committee; building the skills and resilience of grassroots safety and wellbeing providers; and expanding the tools and support services available to at-risk defenders nationwide. We also reviewed Tifa’s case management tools, offering practical recommendations to streamline threat assessment and response mechanisms – strengthening systems that will continue to benefit defenders well beyond our direct involvement.
Supporting a network as diverse as JPLKI – spanning multiple regions, thematic areas, and levels of capacity – brought both opportunities and challenges. Through a hybrid approach combining in-person facilitation and remote collaboration, we worked to build trust, strengthen cohesion and support shared ownership of protection practices across the network. This approach recognised both Tifa and JPLKI members as the catalysts for scaling holistic security to defenders across Indonesia. Rather than applying external frameworks, Open Briefing’s role was to listen first, co-create, and help amplify existing local capacity – ultimately supporting protection infrastructure that is led, owned, and sustained locally.
Our collaboration with the Tifa Foundation reinforced our commitment to strengthening decolonised approaches to holistic security, and crucially the work of local protection organisations and networks. This work prompted internal reflection on how we structure collaboration and share power, leading us to embed more equitable practices in how we design, govern, and assess partnerships.
As Renata Oliveira, our associate director of safety and security, who contributed to early design conversations with Tifa, reflected: “What is particularly powerful about this approach is how it recognises the value of locally led responses, reduces reliance on external actors, and enables protection efforts to multiply through local networks.” It reaffirmed a lesson we see repeatedly: protection ecosystems are strongest when those closest to the challenges lead the design and delivery of support mechanisms.
Our work with Tifa and JPLKI – continuing into 2026 – highlights the importance of investing not only in individualised protection responses for defenders, but crucially in the local networks and organisations that can sustain them. Strengthening this kind of infrastructure is essential to ensuring protection efforts are durable, scalable, and responsive to evolving risks.
As Oslan Purba, Executive Director of the Tifa Foundation, reflected:
“Our work with Open Briefing is JPLKI’s first collaboration with an international organization with a long track record of developing holistic security capacity with activists and organizations. Your support in building JPLKI’s capacity and governance will certainly be very meaningful for our efforts to strengthen the EHRD protection ecosystem in Indonesia in the future.”
Together, this collaboration is helping to ensure that defenders across Indonesia can access timely, relevant, and resilient support, enabling them to continue their vital work even as risks and pressures intensify.
Access further support and get involved
Open Briefing provides fully-funded assistance to activists and organisations facing threats related to their work. You can request support through our responsive assistance mechanism.
If you’re a foundation or philanthropist who believes in protecting the people who defend human rights, we’d love to hear from you. Contact our director of development, Vicky Nida at [email protected] to discuss how you can join our incredible community of donors or read more about how Open Briefing works with foundations to strengthen civil society in our latest blog.