Google.org Supported Women’s Forest Stewardship Program Celebrates International Women’s Day

Program Year: 2023

On March 8, 2023, The Asia Foundation in Indonesia continued the tradition of celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) with a gathering of gender focal points from organizations across Indonesia, following the campaign of embracing equity. Celebrating IWD 2023 is a part of the Promoting Women’s Forest Stewardship program supported by Google.org (Google Impact Challenge for Women and Girls) beginning in 2022.

This year, The Asia Foundation gathered around 70 women and men activists and women and youth champions from nine provinces to celebrate their commitments and hard work in promoting equality in the social forestry program. This national meeting aimed to strengthen women and youth networks and engage with national and subnational governments, including nationwide market off-takers, in integrating social forestry-based products into national markets to improve the livelihoods of women and youth.

Over seventy people grouped together for a photo

The Indonesian government’s Social Forestry Program (SFP) provides communities with management responsibility for 12.7 million hectares of forest. However, because of legal and socio-cultural factors, women have largely been excluded from the SFP, resulting in a continued loss of livelihood opportunities and exacerbated gender inequality.

Participants present at the meeting represented women and youth groups from village-based jurisdictions where the permits of social forestry are in consideration. They also represented processors of honey, coffee, brown sugar, cocoa, torch plants, fern, and various non-timber forest products for food and beverage consumption. Participants brought 30 different kinds of products to discuss with off-takers during coaching clinic sessions. Products were also displayed when participants visited the Coordination Ministry of Investment and Maritime, Ministry of Cooperation and Small Medium Enterprise, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Village, Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, and Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

Two women and three men participate in a panel on mangrove forest restoration

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