The Maluku Provincial Legislative Council expressed its support for gender-responsive and inclusive development programs during a meeting with the PUSPA Manise Forum, facilitated by the SKALA Program. As a follow-up to the “Bacarita Manise” Thematic Development Planning Meeting (Musrenbang), the civil society network raised three key issues to be included in the 2027 Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD): the lack of services for victims of sexual violence due to budget constraints; the need for inclusive education, including the construction of special education schools (SLB) and the Special Education Program at Pattimura University; and formal recognition of the strategic role of women fishermen. With the existence of a legal framework such as Regional Regulation No. 5 of 2024 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) is committed to ensuring these proposals are integrated into provincial development planning that is more equitable and inclusive.
The Maluku Provincial Government officially launched the Lawamena Satu Data Maluku Portal on May 15, 2025, marking a strategic step toward strengthening integrated, evidence-based development planning in the archipelago. Designed to address the long-standing challenges of fragmented data that has been difficult to share across agencies, this portal unifies various sectoral data sources—ranging from health, education, and poverty to village development and indigenous communities—into a single, interconnected ecosystem. Equipped with an Executive Dashboard to monitor the achievement of development indicators on a daily basis, Lawamena is expected to serve as a national model of how island regions can overcome geographical challenges through robust, inclusive, and responsive data governance that addresses local needs.
The Baseline Study on Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion found that the level of trust between the government and civil society organisations (CSOs) is relatively high—a strong form of social capital for expanding collaboration in gender-responsive and inclusive regional development. Organised by the Directorate of Gender Equality and Empowerment (KPPA) at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas with support from SKALA, and implemented by The SMERU Research Institute across six provinces, this study also identified the challenges that remain, ranging from limited participation by CSOs and vulnerable groups in formal planning processes to the need for capacity building, both on the part of CSOs and the government. The publication of the Circular Letter on Guidelines for Community Participation in January 2026 is expected to provide the impetus for achieving more meaningful participation.
East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) continues to strengthen inclusive development through the ‘Forum Musik Keren’, a platform for the participation of vulnerable groups in the regional planning and budgeting process. At the 2027 Regional Development Planning Forum (Musrenbang RKPD), 57 proposals from people with disabilities, women, children, the elderly, indigenous communities and other vulnerable groups were accepted and integrated into the regional planning system, reaffirming NTT’s commitment to achieving development that is fairer, more participatory and responsive to the needs of the entire community.
The Gorontalo Provincial Government has reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality through the enactment of Regional Regulation No. 1 of 2026 on Gender Mainstreaming (PUG), which was reinforced by an event to disseminate the PUG Regional Regulation and strengthen local commitment held at the Hulonthalo Ballroom on 9 May 2026. Attended by representatives from the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA), the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), and the SKALA Program, the event underscored that the existence of regulations alone is insufficient—real innovation, cross-sectoral coordination, technical guidance, and a rigorous monitoring system are required to ensure that a gender perspective is truly embedded in every stage of regional development and delivers direct benefits to women, children, and people with disabilities.
Six governors in Papua signed the “Timika Agreement” at the Strategic Coordination Forum for the Acceleration of Development in Papua, which took place on 11–12 May 2026 in Timika, Papua Tengah. This agreement contains 12 joint commitments to strengthen inter-regional cooperation, harmonise development planning, and improve accountability in the management of the Papua Special Autonomy Fund, which has been allocated Rp12.69 trillion for 2026. The forum also launched the interoperability of the SIPPP, SIKD, and SIPD systems to ensure more transparent, accountable, and targeted governance of the Special Autonomy Fund, with the aim of realising a more prosperous Papua.
In Papua Selatan, one of Indonesia's newest provinces, the Provincial Government together with JERAT Papua and the SKALA Program has introduced the Pre-Musrenbang Thematic Forum for Vulnerable Groups (Fortembang) as a practical innovation to open up more meaningful participation for Indigenous Papuans, women, children, people with disabilities and older people. Held in Merauke from 31 March to 1 April 2026 and drawing 137 participants, the forum brought together five thematic groups to consolidate aspirations and formulate development priorities, channelling them formally into the Musrenbang process and into the preparation of the 2027 regional work plans (RKPD). By building inclusive participation mechanisms from the ground up, South Papua is taking a deliberate step to ensure that the voices of those most often left out become an integral part of subnational development decision-making.
Gorontalo Province has launched Open Data Gorontalo "PENTAGON", an open data platform developed with Australian Government support, marking a significant step towards data-driven governance. Officially launched by Governor Gusnar Ismail at the Dulohupa Hall on 18 May 2026, the event brought together senior officials including Australia's Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia Gita Kamath, Bappenas Deputy Maliki, and SKALA. Designed to address long-standing data fragmentation across provincial agencies, "PENTAGON" connects and aligns data from villages to the province into a single authoritative source for policy and planning, supporting Indonesia's One Data policy. Developed with support from SKALA (the Australia–Indonesia Partnership Program), the platform is owned and managed entirely by the Gorontalo Provincial Government, providing a sustainable foundation for more accurate, targeted, and evidence-based regional development.
The North Kalimantan Provincial Government officially launched a data updating and distribution program for Disability Service Cards in Tarakan City on May 7, 2026, as part of its commitment to realizing inclusive development that guarantees the basic rights of all citizens. Based on the National Social and Economic Single Data (DTSEN) in January 2026, there were 39,293 people with disabilities in North Kalimantan — the majority of whom had not been verified and integrated — thus hindering their access to public services guaranteed by Law Number 8 of 2016. Supported by the SKALA Program and cross-regional agencies, this program implements an integrated data collection mechanism through the SIJOSKU application and a four-desk service flow, covering registration, medical-psychological screening, population data updating, and card issuance, with a target of expansion to all districts and cities in North Kalimantan.
