Take Five: “In many ways women can be better than men”

Asril (he uses one name only) is Assistant Deputy on Disaster Mitigation and Social Conflict, Coordinating Ministry of Human Development and Cultural Affairs, Indonesia. The Ministry coordinates the National Action Plan to implement United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on promoting women’s participation in preventing and resolving conflicts. In June 2024 Asril attended the National Action Plan Academy for South-East Asia country representatives to learn about good practices in implementing the 1325 agenda. ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation and UN Women organized the workshop. 

Could you share the results of Indonesia on the women, peace and security agenda?

We have agreed that we need to improve our national action plan because of the weaknesses and the demands going forward. The weakness is that the targets are not detailed when compared to other action plans.

Secondly, our plan refers to Law No. 7 of 2012, which only covers social conflicts -- and even that is only limited to communal conflicts. Therefore, there are many issues in the women, peace and security agenda that cannot be covered by the plan. We have not covered armed conflict in Papua, for example, because it is not a communal conflict; they wanted to secede from Indonesia. Various conflicts between civil society and the authorities often (result in) violent clashes, which are actually the realm of women, peace and security as well. We want to upgrade, expand the plan to include disasters, terrorism, human trafficking and cybersecurity.

What about successes?

We have succeeded in encouraging a number of local governments to issue legal umbrellas in the context of implementing the national action plan in their respective regions. There is one more achievement – on how to ground the role of women in peace. This was done by civil society organizations in several places. With the issuance of Presidential Regulation No. 18, it became legitimate for a number of civil society organizations and development partners to provide socialization and training on how to empower women to build peace in conflict and to manage disasters.

Do you plan to develop the third generation of the national action plan?

We are definitely processing the third generation; we have asked for support from UN Women. We want to improve the plan because, as I said earlier, there is no action plan in the current plan. If we can't revise the plan this year, then next year. Of course, it must cover the new issues.

How can the people support the Government on the plan?

When we draft the policy, we open the door to the widest possible participation for all parties, and we as policymakers must also be open-minded. The Government cannot do everything ourselves. The Government's budget will not be enough to implement everything.

Before working on women, peace and security, were you already committed to women's empowerment?

I come from traditional Minangkabau society and the position of women is elevated in West Sumatran society. Secondly, in my first experience working, my superiors, the three levels, were all women. In many ways women can be better than men. When I moved to the Coordinating Ministry, I had all female subordinates, five or six people, and it was assessed by my boss that my team was the best team in the Coordinating Ministry. That team then made history in the Coordinating Ministry and is the only one until now that can issue a presidential regulation.