Indonesia affirms commitment on gender equality at 69th CSW New York

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifah Fauzi emphasized Indonesia's commitment to expediting implementation of gender equality and women's empowerment at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 69th ministerial meeting in New York.

"Indonesia is strongly committed to gender equality and women's empowerment. This commitment is the main driver for our real action in reducing the gender inequality index from 0.472 in 2020 to 0.447 in 2023. This was a result of various policies and programs designed to improve women's welfare in various aspects of life," she noted in a statement on Friday.

During the forum, Fauzi outlined three main approaches implemented by the Indonesian government to improve women's empowerment.

The first approach is to mainstream women's empowerment at all levels, starting from the grassroots with an approach that involves the entire community.

This effort has been stated in the National Long-Term and Medium-Term Development Plan in line with the Vision of Golden Indonesia 2045.

Fauzi affirmed that through this policy, her side emphasized Indonesia's ongoing efforts to improve the quality of education, health, social support, and women's participation in various regions, including at the village level.

For the second approach, she highlighted that the government continues to include women's empowerment and leadership in all sectors.

According to the minister, women's participation in climate action, health, education, and other sectors shows that females are not only beneficiaries but also the main actors and leaders in social change.

"The third approach is that Indonesia invests in women's empowerment. Budget allocation is key to ensuring that all strategies are implemented. That way, the government ensured the implementation of gender-responsive budgeting in the Village Fund, Smart Indonesia Program, and Family Hope Program," the minister stated.

She remarked that since 2021, Indonesia has continued to dedicate Non-Physical Special Allocation Funds to assist efforts in preventing and handling women and children who are victims of violence throughout the country.