Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, emphasized the need to elevate the number of women in decision-making roles to foster inclusive development. Speaking at a national seminar themed "Women's Leadership Innovation in the Education and Regional Sectors," Minister Puspayoga highlighted the imperative of women's involvement in all aspects of planning, policy implementation, and budget allocation.

"Women must have access to be involved and participate in the planning and implementation of programs and budget policies and exercising control over their implementation," Minister Puspayoga stated during the seminar.

She noted that achieving equal opportunities for women and men to participate in political activities and policy-making is crucial for generating representative and comprehensive policies. Puspayoga expressed her optimism that this approach would lead to more balanced and effective decision-making across various sectors.

Underscoring the significance of gender perspective and the safeguarding of children's rights, the Minister emphasized that both women and men should collaborate to promote women's leadership. "We do not rule out the role of men because, after all, women's progress cannot be separated from men's participation, role, and support," she remarked.

The concept of women's empowerment, according to Puspayoga, revolves around enhancing women's knowledge and skills to enable them to achieve personal growth and prosperity. While there has been progress in increasing the number of elected women representatives over the past three legislative elections, the Minister acknowledged that the 30 percent representation goal has yet to be realized. With women constituting 49.5 percent of Indonesia's population, she stressed the need to devise strategies to bridge this gap.

Puspayoga identified the limited participation of women in public policy-making institutions as a significant barrier to gender mainstreaming efforts. She cautioned that the underrepresentation of women in decision-making roles hampers progress in this area. Furthermore, she highlighted the challenges faced by women in strategic positions due to insufficient support structures.

"Women are the power of the nation and the world. Women make up half of Indonesia's population, this means that women will determine Indonesia's welfare in the future," Puspayoga reiterated, underscoring the transformative potential of women's active participation in all spheres of development.

The seminar serves as a platform to discuss and explore innovative ways to elevate women's leadership roles in education and regional sectors. As stakeholders come together to deliberate on strategies and initiatives, the goal of achieving more inclusive and representative policies gains renewed focus. Minister Puspayoga's call for collaborative efforts toward gender equality and inclusive development stands as a reminder of the nation's potential to thrive through the active participation of all its citizens.