Minister pushes for integrated ecosystem to tackle poverty

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3 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar said poverty alleviation requires an integrated ecosystem linking social protection, empowerment, job creation, and business opportunities.

“Social assistance is merely a temporary cushion and social security is just a safety net. The real priority is community self-reliance,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Speaking at a regional coordination meeting on poverty alleviation and eliminating extreme poverty in Surakarta, Central Java, on Friday (Sept 4), he stressed the government must actively shift its policy focus from social protection to community empowerment.

Achieving the goal, he added, requires more than just government action alone.

Effective poverty reduction relies on an integrated ecosystem that aligns central and local governments with the private sector, industry, academia, philanthropy, and other key stakeholders.

“The next step is strengthening the ecosystem. This is critical. We are building an integrated ecosystem across sectors, bringing together industry, stakeholders, universities, and philanthropic organisations,” Iskandar said.

The industrial sector plays a vital role in creating jobs and unlocking new economic opportunities for local communities.

Meanwhile, support from universities is needed to ensure empowerment policies and interventions evolve alongside advances in science and technology. Philanthropic organisations can also serve as strategic partners for the government to reach those in need.

He noted strong public trust in the organisations provides a solid foundation for expanding collaborative efforts in poverty reduction.

Under the President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, the Indonesian government has made poverty alleviation a central priority, targeting a poverty rate of 6.0 to 6.5 percent and an extreme poverty rate of 0 to 0.5 percent by 2027.