Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga highlighted the need to support women micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to achieve national economic recovery.

"According to the latest data, there are 65.4 million MSMEs in Indonesia, and around half of them are owned and managed by women," the minister noted in the G20 Presidency Side Event press statement on Thursday.

"This data shows that women have an amazing potential to participate as not only the driver of post-pandemic economic recovery but also as a foundation for long-term economic stability," she added.

The G20 is an international forum comprising 19 countries that work together to handle major issues. Indonesia holds the G20 Presidency this year.

"Research has also shown that women tend to be more proactive in taking steps to develop the products that they offer and develop them by sector, location, and type of goods," she noted.

To this end, the minister deemed that the gender aspect within financial inclusion, such as equal access and rights over ownership, is crucial to ensure women's access to basic financial products.

Examples of these basic financial products include savings, capital, and loan for MSMEs to insure and invest, she explained.

"The Indonesian government has a national strategy for women-inclusive finance. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) acknowledged that this strategy is the first and the only one in the world," she remarked.

Amid the pandemic, the Indonesian government pays special attention to the existence of women MSMEs, not just for them to survive but also to develop and become stronger.

"Gender-perspective entrepreneurship training is one of Indonesia's primary strategies in achieving women's economic empowerment," Puspayoga noted.

"We also unveiled the Women and Child Friendly Village (DRPPA) wherein we encourage women entrepreneurship and financial inclusion as one of the goals of this program," she added.

Various regulations had also been ratified to support women MSMEs, not just to develop them but also to transform their business from informal to formal.

Moreover, the Mekar (bloom) program is a financial program for micro and ultra-micro women entrepreneurs that is designed to eliminate poverty.

"As the nation holding the G20 presidency, we ensure that women are actively involved in global economic recovery, both in the planning and implementation stages," the minister stated. (Antaranews)