IFAD Lauds Indonesia for Local Empowerment at Village Level

KOMPAS.com – The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), a Rome-based United Nations (U.N.) agency, lauded the Sustainable Development Goal-related activities initiated by the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration in Indonesia.

IFAD’s director in the country Ivan Cossio Coretz said that Indonesia is the only nation that is able to make the SDGs local, enhancing the economy in the villages.

“It is fantastic to imagine all villages have their own data and plan for their own development. In my opinion, no other country like Indonesia can localize the SDGs concept [at village level],” said Ivan in a statement on Tuesday, November 23 after meeting with Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar a day before.

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Ivan said the SDGs Village is an extraordinary idea because it can accommodate microdata, which can clearly identify real conditions in the field. He also expressed his readiness to share the minister’s ideas in the international arena.

“If you allow me, I can start sharing this approach [SDGs Village]. I’m pleased to say that IFAD will support you,” Ivan told the minister, who is popularly known as Gus Halim.

Ivan said that he would contact several U.N. agencies to provide their assistance in the program.

“I’m sure that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the strength of Analytical in the economic field can help you,” he said.

The minister welcomed the good intention by the IFAD to share the information about the SDGs Village done in Indonesia. However, he still wants to achieve better results of the SDGs Village first. He said that careful planning is important to realize the concept of SDGs Village.

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Currently, the ministry continues to update the SDGs Village data throughout the country followed by village mapping. This aims to identify various problems in each village. All villages will be competing to score 100 points in their efforts to achieve the SDGs.

The results will identify how many villages are without poverty, without lack of food, and those with achievements.

Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry, and IFAD are also collaborating in the Integrated Village Economic Transformation project to empower village communities’ contributions to rural transformation in eastern Indonesia such as in Papua, West Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, and East Nusa Tenggara.

(Writer: Amalia Purnama Sari | Editor: Mikhael Gewati)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/11/23/15234011/apresiasi-sdgs-desa-ifad-tidak-ada-negara-lain-yang-bisa-melokalkan-konsep?page=all#page2.