The Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration has forged cooperation with Fatayat Nahdlatul Ulama, a women’s organization working under Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), to support women’s participation in village development.
The cooperation was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) by Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar and Fatayat NU chair Margaret Aliyah Maimunah here on Tuesday.
According to Iskandar, the cooperation is his ministry’s strategic step to support women’s participation in village development, in keeping with Goal No. 5 of the Village Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely achieving gender equality and empowering village women.
“Village residents, both men and women, must have equal access, in accordance with the Goal 5 of Village SDGs,” he said.
He further said that the MoU aims to synergize the potential of the relevant parties to utilize resources for the common good to bring about women’s empowerment.
The signing of the MoU also aims to contribute to and empower women in efforts to improve education and the economy in villages, disadvantaged regions, and transmigration areas, he added.
Furthermore, he underlined that the focus of the agreement between the ministry and Fatayat NU is community empowerment. Such empowerment can be realized through training and guidance to build the independence of women in villages.
Minister Iskandar said he hoped that going forward, the cooperation between his ministry and Fatayat NU can continue to provide opportunities for women in villages to contribute more with wider benefits.
According to him, the MoU can also be applied through various forms of cooperation, as envisaged by each article of the agreement.