TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - UN Women and Srikandi BUMN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday, February 19, to strengthen collaboration in accelerating gender equality and women’s empowerment in the business sector. 

Operating under the auspices of Indonesia’s Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (KBUMN) and the Indonesian Human Capital Forum (FHCI), Srikandi BUMN is a women’s community of State-Owned Enterprises dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment for women in BUMN. Building on Srikandi BUMN's commitment and UN Women’s universal mandate to advance gender equality, the MoU will leverage synergies that aim to enhance businesses' efforts to drive positive change for women in Indonesia. 

The MoU was signed by Ulziisuren Jamsran, UN Women Indonesia Representative and Liaison to ASEAN, and Fikha Lutfi, the Chairwoman of Srikandi BUMN. Concurrently, three state-owned enterprises—ANTAM, BTN, and WIKA—also signed the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to demonstrate their commitment as leaders in achieving gender equality.

Nico Kanter, Director of ANTAM; Nixon LP Napitupulu, Director of BTN; Maya Watono, Director of InJourney; and Agung Budi Waskito, Director of WIKA, signed Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to demontraste their commitment as leaders in achieving gender equality in BUMN, 19 February 2025. UN Women/Christina Phan

Advancing gender equality in Indonesia could add USD 135 billion to its annual GDP, 9 percent above business as usual. Companies with three or more women in senior management roles consistently outperform across all organizational dimensions. Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir set a target of 25% of women in leadership roles within BUMN, reinforcing the importance of gender equality. In line with this, Srikandi BUMN commits to become the catalyst in achieving the targeted number of women in State-Owned Enterprises’ Board of Directors.

To enhance some of these opportunities and to align with national strategies on increasing women's leadership in business, the MoU establishes a framework for cooperation whereby both parties will work closely to foster an inclusive environment for women's empowerment by: (1) Jointly develop and implement capacity-building on gender-responsive business practices within State-Owned Enterprises, (2) Collaboration on research initiatives to review and develop gender equality and women’s empowerment policies, and (3) Technical Assistance to support Srikandi BUMN in adopting and integrating Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) into their business culture and practices.

“It is time for Indonesian women to advance through collaboration across various sectors and embrace opportunities with all stakeholders. Through Srikandi BUMN, we champion women’s leadership by fostering an inclusive, collaborative work environment that prioritizes shared progress. By adopting positive workplace practices and building synergies, we can set a strong example and have more women leaders advancing BUMN performance,” said Fikha Lutfi, Chairwoman of Srikandi BUMN, as quoted from a written statement.

“Partnering with Srikandi BUMN marks a pivotal step towards a more inclusive and equitable business landscape in Indonesia. By empowering women and championing gender equality, we unlock vast potential and drive sustainable economic growth. Together, we are committed to nurturing leadership, fostering innovation, and creating opportunities for women in the business sector in State-Owned Enterprises,” said Ulziisuren Jamsran, UN Women Indonesia Representative and Liaison to ASEAN.

Since 2021, UN Women and Srikandi BUMN have joined forces to promote leadership and empowerment for women in BUMN through the WEPs. Established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, WEPs provide businesses with guidance to advance gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, and community. To date, 14 State-Owned Enterprises have signed the WEPs, showcasing a strong commitment to advance gender equality. These signatories have emerged as leaders at the 2024 WEPs Awards with award-winning initiatives and leadership commitment. WEPs Awards recognizes companies’ good practices and initiatives to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality.

This partnership is supported by UN Women’s new initiative, ‘Gender Action Lab (GAL): Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in Asia-Pacific’ supported by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) aims to advance further the commitment from Indonesian companies in adopting gender-responsive business policies and practices.

The cooperation between UN Women and Srikandi BUMN emphasizes stronger investment in women's empowerment, which is expected to contribute to Indonesia's inclusive economic growth.

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