The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), in collaboration with PROPENAS (National Association of Companion Professionals) and the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, held a reflection activity entitled Improving the Women's SME Ecosystem to Access Business Formalization on Thursday, December 19, 2024. The activity, which was held at the Alotf Hotel Wahid Hasyim in Jakarta, aimed to identify the obstacles women face in formalizing their businesses and encourage more inclusive policies for women business actors.
Thirty-three participants from various ministries attended this event, including the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming/BKPM, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the Central DJP, financial organizations, and women's associations. The discussion focused on the challenges faced by women business actors, such as limited access to legality, funding, legal knowledge, and Gender Equality.
The activity opened with remarks from ABA ROLI representatives, represented by Mr. Irawan Kristianto. The keynote speech was delivered by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs representative, Mrs. Aufrida Herni Novieta. Next, the Chairperson of PROPENAS N. Wiwin explained the results of the analysis and the challenges and obstacles to business formalization and funding. Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) expert Maria Epik presented a policy brief discussing strategic steps to improve Indonesia's women's business ecosystem.
Apart from discussions, this activity was also filled with a session of handing over Policy Briefs and Guidance Modules to the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs as a concrete step in helping women access business formalization. With this Policy Brief and Module, it is hoped that more and more female business actors will receive support to develop their businesses legally and sustainably. This reflection activity is an important momentum in strengthening collaboration between the government, community organizations and the private sector to create a more inclusive and competitive business ecosystem for women in Indonesia
