According to a news release obtained by Tempo, a three-year project to create lasting peace for women and girls in Indonesian communities by preventing violent extremism and managing climatic threats was begun today, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and UN Women.
The project “Empowered Women for Sustainable Peace: Addressing the Peace-Humanitarian Nexus to Enhance Community Resilience in Indonesia,” which will be carried out by UN Women, will receive a $4 million contribution from KOICA, the government aid agency of the Republic of Korea.
About 17,000 individuals, 10,000 of whom are women, would directly benefit from the project in at least 20 villages spread over three provinces—West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, and Central Sulawesi—that are vulnerable to natural disasters and armed conflict and in need of humanitarian aid.
An international non-governmental organisation called the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimates that in 2022, civil war and natural disasters together displaced 4,600 additional people nationwide, totaling around 705,000 people.
Project partners from the three provinces, civil society organisations, and young people discussed the connections between gender, humanitarian needs, and peace at today’s project launch in Jakarta. They also emphasised how important it is for women to lead and participate in society in order to create better futures for everyone.
“While women play a central role in ensuring the resilience of families and communities during disasters and conflict, they are often excluded from shaping strategies, policy, and plans that respond to the situation,” said Jamshed Kazi, UN Women Representative in Indonesia and Liaison to ASEAN.
“The project aims to amplify women’s voice, leadership, and agency to influence decision-making processes that affect not only themselves but other people’s lives. It recognizes women’s ability as change-makers in building resilient and peaceful communities.”
