You might have missed it, but last month marks a milestone in how Islamic finance can contribute to address inequality and eradicate poverty in Indonesia. When Indonesia’s National Board of Zakat (BAZNAS) agreed to support the widening of electricity access to the poor in Jambi province in July, it marked the first official disbursement of the Islamic zakat fund to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The agreement sees Baznas disbursing $350,000 to UNDP’s project to deliver renewable energy to rural communities facing high poverty levels through the development of two micro hydro power plants. Some 30 million Indonesians – or 12 percent of the total population – do not have sufficient access to electricity, which prevents communities from improving their standard of living and is a major constraint to achieving the SDGs in Indonesia.

More than 500 Indonesian elementary school children in the tourist island of Bali on took part in a major tsunami drill conducted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Tuesday, with financial support from the Government of Japan.

To reduce its dependence on oil and gas resources, Musi Banyuasin district on Thursday signed an agreement with the UNDP to work on the establishment of sovereign wealth fund to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address inequality. Lying in the heart of South Sumatra province, Musi Banyuasin is home to some of the country’s biggest reserves in oil, gas and minerals such as coal. The district also has many palm oil and rubber plantations. Once established, Musi Banyuasin will become the first district in Indonesia to have the sovereign wealth fund.

There are around 600 Sumatran Tigers left in Indonesia. The Sumatran Tiger project has identified several causes of the declining tiger population. These include the booming population and industry expansion encroaching on the tigers’ habitat.

Jambi Governor Zumi Zola witnesses the singing of Zakat contribution to UNDP’s project on the development of micro hydro in Jambi. UNDP Deputy Director, Francine Pickup inked the agreement with Baznas Deputy Commissioner, Zainnul Bahar Noor.

Heated debates have recently surrounded the palm oil sector in Indonesia and its access to export markets, including the European Union. The issue is crucial for Indonesia as the world’s largest palm oil producer, the largest exporter, and about 16 million jobs depending directly or indirectly on this sector. Palm oil has also become a public issue in many consumer countries. Governments, parliaments and citizens are paying increasing attention to environmental protection and the sustainability of production patterns, which they expect national and international standards to guarantee.

“The Magnificent Seven: Indonesia’s Marine National Parks” is produced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) to introduce and promote the beauty and diversity of Indonesia’s underwater world, and call on everyone to preserve it.

One of the main challenges in development in Indonesia today is finding a source of relatively cheap and sustainable development financing. This challenge is not easy given the large amount of financing required and the increasingly high level of competition between countries in obtaining low-cost investment funds.

Muslims around the world mark the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadan this week, and millions will be giving their zakat fitrah. Islamic charitable giving zakat is one of the world’s largest forms of wealth transfer to the poor. In a new report released today the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Indonesia and the state zakat agency Baznas are calling for an increase in the use of formal institutions to channel zakat contributions so funds can be more effectively distributed to alleviate poverty.

One of the many things that makes Indonesia special is its title as the world’s largest archipelago country. Nestled in the southeastern region of Sulawesi is Wakatobi Islands, Indonesia’s best kept secret. The chain of islands is home to one of the largest marine biodiversity areas, with coral and fish spanning over 700 different species.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Indonesia signs agreements with the National Board of Zakat (Baznas), Bank Jambi, and Bank NTT today to support the achievements of the global goals. “These partnerships are extremely important and projects under the agreements will demonstrate the strength of the partnerships,” said Haoliang Xu, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Regional Director of UNDP, at the signing ceremony. “I hope they will become models that can be replicated throughout Indonesia and other countries.”

Sulawesi’s indigenous Minahasa people marched with Kalimantan’s Dayak people. The Minahasa people, said to be the oldest democracy in Indonesia, wore large crimson-red, feathered crowns. Dayak groups wore either sequined, kaleidoscopic jackets or clothes made of bark depending on their ethnicity. Behind them were displays of handwoven textiles, from across thousands of islands, derived from generations of treasured handweaving technique. Worn by Lombok’s Sasak people, Papuans, and Sumatra’s Batak people, the textiles were as unique as their individual cultures.

New frontiers in financing SDGs provide new hope for eradicating poverty in Indonesia. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Indonesia’s financial services authority OJK launched two bodies of research on the powerful potential of social finance.

JAKARTA - Exclusion of women, ethnic minorities, and people living in remote areas create chronic barriers hindering human development progress. This has led to significant disparities leaving many behind in the world, including within Indonesia and the Asia and the Pacific region. In addition, marginalized groups often have limited opportunities to influence the institutions and policies that determine their lives. 

The Government of Canada and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Indonesia agreed to strengthen the role of social finance in funding development actions in Indonesia. In partnership with women led social enterprises, this will contribute to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Ending poverty and inequality are some of today’s greatest challenges that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to overcome. Considering Islamic principles support a socially inclusive development, funding from Islamic giving, zakat, has the potential to play a crucial role in accomplishing the SDGs

Profit and equality go hand-in-hand. Citizens, Government, United Nations and private sector leaders call on all organizations to create policies that advance gender equality. Glass ceilings and gender gaps were challenged at today’s Women, Organizations and Growth event hosted by United Nations Development Programme Indonesia (UNDP) today. The event, in the lead up to International Women’s Day, coincided with the launch of UNDP’s Gender Equality Strategy 2017-2020.

Zakat in Arabic means “that which purifies.” Most Indonesians associate it with charitable giving in the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan. Personally, it reminds me of my childhood when my aunt and uncle went to the least privileged of my grandma’s neighbors with a stack of white envelopes to give away. Zakat is in fact a sort of religious tax, a Muslim’s obligation to give a portion of their wealth to charity. Islam also encourages other forms of religious giving that are not compulsory. Like in my family, most religious charitable practices are informal and sporadic. But the potential for impact is high

Transport options are limited for sixteen-year-old Rina, a student in Makassar. She relies on her parents to drive her to school every day. “Usually, it takes around 30 minutes to arrive, but if there’s a traffic jam, I get out of the car and run, because I don’t want to be late to class

Ramadhani Lutfi Aerli, a nine-year-old boy from Pekanbaru, suffered a high fever and seizure on 20 October 2015. When he went unconscious in the middle of the night, his parents rushed him to the hospital but he died before the morning call to prayer.

Indonesia has one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation. Efforts to slow down the loss of tree cover have included a moratorium on the clearing of certain primary forests and peatlands, but limited law enforcement capacity has hampered progress. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working with the Government of Indonesia under the UN’s Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) scheme, funded by the Norwegian government, to tackle deforestation by improving livelihoods around the forests. Communities in and around forest areas often have no choice but to cut the trees to sell the timber, or clear the forest to make way for plantations. But the livelihood programs give people alternative sources of income so they do not only refrain from clearing the forest, but also help in protecting the forest. For the second and last piece in these series, we look into a small scale palm sugar industry.

He ties a t-shirt around his head, leaving a small gap to see through. A rope is fastened around his waist attached to a plastic bucket. Wedged into the back of his pants is a long, sharp knife with a heavy wooden handle. He’s about to climb barehanded 30 meters up one of Indonesia’s largest trees, the majestic Boan tree. Just another day in the office for the Sumbawan honey hunter.

Women have contributed significantly in ending hostilities and paving the way to resolutions of conflicts in many places in Indonesia. The Hidden Pearls – Heroic Stories of Women Peace Builders is a collection of lessons learned from conflict areas including Ambon, Aceh, and Poso. The book was produced by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the support of N-Peace, and launched today with a panel discussion at Plaza Indonesia.