The dynamics of poverty in Indonesia are becoming more complex, resulting in such conditions that the old approaches to poverty reduction through targeted programs run by individual institutions are no longer adequate. This is because the poor population has decreased and is now more difficult to identify. To make things worse, there has a growing population of both economically and socially vulnerable people. To overcome poverty and vulnerability with the new characteristics, the strengthening of the old approach, is required, i.e., mainstreaming poverty and vulnerability reduction into government and nongovernment (NGOs , the corporate world, donors, etc.) policies and programs. Mainstreaming poverty and vulnerability reduction (MPVR) involves taking into account the implications for poverty and vulnerability of any of the government’s policies and programs. This is irrespective of whether or not these policies are specifically intended for poverty and vulnerability reduction. MPVR should be incorporated at every stage of policy formulation: planning and budgeting, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Due to limited government resources, it is equally important that poverty and vulnerability reduction should be mainstreamed into nongovernment policies and activities, such as NGO programs, corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, and activities run by community groups.

To this end, the SMERU Research Institute, with the support of SEADI-USAID , has compiled a Basic Information Package on Mainstreaming Poverty and Vulnerability Reduction. The main objectives are to raise awareness of MPVR amongst all stakeholders involved in Indonesia’s development, and to encourage the application of MPVR across a range of policies and programs.