Financing with Purpose: Advancing Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Indonesia

The Accelerating SDGs Investment in Indonesia Joint Programme (ASSIST JP) places Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) at the heart of its mission to close Indonesia’s SDG financing gap. Under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator and implemented by UNDP, UNEP, UNICEF, and UNIDO, the programme mobilizes innovative financing—such as SDG Bonds, Blue Bonds, and municipal bonds—with a deliberate gender lens. ASSIST JP advocates for the integration of GESI across financing frameworks, policy development, and capacity-building efforts, ensuring that women, persons with disabilities (PwDs), youth, and other vulnerable groups are empowered as active participants and beneficiaries in Indonesia’s sustainable development journey.

From supporting over 1,500 women entrepreneurs and farmers to embedding gender-responsive budgeting practices at national and subnational levels, ASSIST JP is reshaping how inclusive finance is designed and delivered. Initiatives like the SheDisrupts accelerator and the Blue Finance Programme are equipping women-led startups with tools to grow impact-driven businesses. Meanwhile, inclusive training sessions and public finance literacy campaigns are reaching students, teachers, and communities—over half of whom are women and girls. Through this GESI-centered approach, ASSIST JP is not only catalyzing investment but also transforming systems to be more equitable, responsive, and sustainable for all.

Note

All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.