TNP2K: Push to Strengthen Regional Coordination to Lower Poverty Rates

13 May 2014

The Secretariat of the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, encouraged local governments to improve coordination and play an active role in supporting government poverty reduction targets. Bambang Widianto, Deputy Secretary of Public Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for the Vice President and TNP2K Executive Secretary underscored this point at the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) on the Institutional Strengthening of the Poverty Reduction Coordination Team (TKPK), held on 13 May at the Siri Millenium Hotel, Jakarta.

Bambang explained that efforts to accelerate the reduce poverty faces multiple challenges, especially in the presence of regional autonomy. "Keeping people above the poverty line is not easy. Therefore, joint efforts with local governments are needed to ensure that current poverty levels do not rise," Bambang said.

The event aimed to boost the understanding of TKPK on the importance of improvements to programme management and targeting for effective regional poverty reduction. Citing an improved understanding, TKPK were then asked to formulate action plans aimed at supporting poverty reduction programmes rolled out to achieve targets set in the 2009-2014 Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), specifically to reduction the national poverty rate to between 8 and 10 percent by the end of 2014.

Meanwhile, Tarmizi A. Karim, Director General of Rural Community Empowerment (PMD) at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said that learning from the National Community Empowerment Programme (PNPM Mandiri) was needed, as village communities are often without knowledge of poverty reduction priorities. “Monitoring and coordination is needed. As such, institutional strengthening [e.g. TKPK] is very important,” Karim said.

Karim added that tackling poverty reduction requires various innovations in programme implementation. “TKPK play an important role in accelerating poverty reduction,” Karim said.

Rakornas was attended by leaders from 61 kabupaten and cities, including bupatis and deputy bupatis/mayors, as well as representatives from city/kabupaten development agencies and TKPK technical staff from 100 kabupaten/cities across Indonesia.

Related materials can be downloaded by clicking on the links below:

1. The Role of Regional Governments in Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Priority Areas

2. The Role of TKPK in Kabupatens and Cities in Poverty Reduction after Law 6 of 2014 on Villages

3. Instructions from the Director General of Community and Village Empowerment at Coordination Meeting on TKPK Institutional Strengthening

4. Performance of National Poverty Reduction and Regional Targeting

5. The Role of Local Governments (TKPK) in the Successful Implementation of PNPM Programmes

6. The Role of Local Governments in Implementing National Health Insurance (JKN)

7. Availability of Health Facilities Based on Regional Prosperity Index (IKW)

8. The Role of Local Governments in Improving The Performance of Raskin and BSM Programme Implementation

9. The Role of Local Governments in Improving The Performance of The Family Hope Programme (PKH) Implementation

10. The Important Role of Regional Governments in Poverty Reduction