JAKARTA - The role of women in development is considered to need to continue to be strengthened, not only as beneficiaries of various government programs, but also as decision makers and agents of change in the community.
In realizing this, cross-sector collaboration is considered the key to empowering women not to go it alone and be able to provide a wider impact.
This view emerged in the Kunstkring Dialogue: Forum for Restorative Economy which took place on 24-26 June 2026 in Jakarta. The forum brought together the government, academics, civil society organizations, and local communities to discuss strengthening the role of women in inclusive and sustainable development.
Deputy Minister for the Empowerment of Women and Child Protection (PPPA), Veronica Tan, assessed that women's empowerment cannot be imposed on only one ministry or agency. According to him, every sector has an important role to open wider access for women.
"For example, the authority and ability at the Ministry of Empowerment of Women and Child Protection (PPPA) are limited. There are authorities in other ministries that will greatly help to promote women's empowerment and restorative economy," said Veronica.
He emphasized that women need to be positioned as an important part of the development process. So far, according to Veronica, there are still many women who face limitations in access to various resources even though their contributions to social and economic life are quite large.
"According to data, 80% of MSMEs in Indonesia are dominated by women, but women are still marginalized and have not yet had good access to welfare. Talking about Indonesian Gold must be based primarily on access to women, not only as beneficiaries, but also as subjects of change. Women must have equal access to basic services, education and health, as well as natural resources," he said.
A similar view was expressed by the Program Director of the Penabulu Foundation, Rini D. Nasution. He said that women's empowerment was not enough to be done through training or temporary assistance, but must be built through an ecosystem that allows women to become leaders in their communities.
"Through strengthening the civil society ecosystem, Penabulu Oxfam invites all parties to collaborate to build a restorative economic ecosystem that encourages women as local leaders, rights holders, managers of productive assets, and agents of change in their communities," said Rini.
In the forum, women are also considered to have a strategic role in maintaining environmental sustainability while improving family welfare.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa assessed that the contribution of women was visible, especially in various areas that developed village potential.
"Women are the heart of restorative tourism. How women in villages become the center of environmental preservation and family economic drivers become a real force of the restorative economy," he said.
However, various challenges are still faced by women in the field. In addition to limited access to land and resources, women also often have to divide their time between productive work and domestic responsibilities.
The Governor of North Maluku, Sherly Tjoanda, said the local government together with the relevant ministries continued to strive to open a larger space for women's groups, including through the utilization of production land in social forestry programs.
"The challenges faced by women everywhere are difficult conditions and consistency. Often hit by domestic work. Currently being pursued by the Provincial Government and the Ministry of Forestry to provide production land from the social forestry program. So that the land can be used by women's groups to produce food and support family economic empowerment," said Sherly.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Social Forestry of the Ministry of Forestry, Catur Endah Prasetiani, explained that women actually have a large involvement in forest area management, even though access to land is still not even.
"This program is based on the family card (KK) administration, so that inequality occurs when the head of the family is not a woman. In fact, women who work access forest areas twice as much as men. However, there is already one Social Forestry Decree in NTT covering an area of 648 hectares which was given to 335 people, of which 310 are women," he said.
Through the forum, stakeholders encourage policies that favor women to continue to be strengthened. The hope is that women not only get equal opportunities, but also have a greater space to contribute as leaders, community movers, and an important part of a more inclusive Indonesia.
This three-day dialogue forum is part of the exhibition Weaving Wonders: Weaving, Food, Energy, and Women From Heritage to Economic Power, which is held at the same place by the Uma Nusantara Foundation.
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