Building leaders for gender mainstreaming in Indonesia

RECOFTC held the gender mainstreaming training for the Center of Environment and Forestry Human Resource Education and Training (CEFHRET) in Indonesia from 27-31 January 2023. This training targeted government employees or Civil Servant Aparatusses (ASN) from the different working groups at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF).

"This was a first-of-kind gender training in Indonesia, bringing together different working groups both on and offline. I met some participants before the training, and they were excited to learn,” says Kusdamayanti, the head of CEFHRET. “Those who joined us from the MOEF’s different units, programs and districts can now share the knowledge widely.”

The training consisted of two days each of online and offline activities with theoretical and practical learning. The curriculum has been improved since the first training in February 2022, incorporating the feedback of participants. It provided hands-on experience by processing and analyzing statistical data from participants’ institutions using gender mainstreaming concepts.

Dody Laksono Soewardi scored the highest in the post-training online test. He says, “This training increased our knowledge and understanding of gender equality. Now, I have a new perspective on mainstreaming gender, even though it might still be challenging."

Preparing and designing gender mainstreaming modules for a massive open online course (MOOC) and ensuring the readability of teaching materials and questions to be used were among the training’s many objectives.

Another participant, Melda Dumaria Bakara, says, “I learned a lot about gender mainstreaming. The trainers were kind and encouraged us to share our thoughts. I hope for more gender equality. From the disaggregated data discussed in the training, we could say that women are still left behind. Like in my institution, the higher positions in the structure are still dominated by men. I hope women would be more encouraged to pursue higher education, so we can also reach top leadership roles.”

Kusdamayanti adds, “This training will benefit all ASN in MoEF, regardless of their roles. It is important to understand gender mainstreaming concepts. In every issue we face at MoEF, the technical aspects are closely related to social aspects. Gender inequality is a key issue that we face, whether at the field level or the policy and development planning level.”

RECOFTC Indonesia and CEFHRET will work together to develop this training into a MOOC that could reach more Civil State Aparatusses (ASN) from different government agencies and provinces.

“This collaboration with the CEPHERT will be beneficial both at organizational and national levels in Indonesia to ensure that gender equality and inclusivity can be achieved. We look forward to achieving this objective,” says Gamma Galudra, Director of RECOFTC Indonesia.

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[Disclamer] The story was originally published in Bahasa Indonesia. It was translated into English and adjusted for style.

RECOFTC's work is made possible with the continuous support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)