With the conclusion of 2024, we welcome 2025 with great optimism. May every step we have taken bring us closer to achieving our goals and targets.

In this edition, we are pleased to share updates on SMERU's ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. With support from the Agence Française de Développement, SMERU and the Ministry successfully developed a toolbox titled "Information and Guidance Package on Mainstreaming Poverty Reduction and Inequality Reduction in Communities around Indonesian MPAs (PKM2PK)" in 2024. This toolbox is designed to assist marine protected area managers in integrating poverty and inequality reduction efforts into every stage of their management processes. Furthermore, SMERU is preparing comprehensive training materials to ensure the toolbox can be practically applied and fully optimized by marine protected area managers.

We have curated some readings from SMERU’s research to start your year. The first is an article by SMERU researchers, published in the Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan (Journal of Economics and Development). It discusses critical gaps in the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) that result in inaccurate targeting of assistance program beneficiaries. The article also outlines steps that kabupaten and city governments, as data managers, can take to improve accuracy.

The second reading is a report from a study conducted by SMERU in collaboration with the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (MAMPU). This 2017 study documents changes in access to public services for underprivileged women. The report specifically highlights the experiences of underprivileged women who have suffered physical violence from their partners, their awareness of available protection services, and the challenges they face in accessing these services.

We have also shared content about care work on SMERU's social media. Follow our Instagram account @smeru.institute to learn more about care work in Indonesia as well as our latest research projects.

Dear Readers, let's kick off 2025 with enthusiasm and best wishes for achieving our new plans and goals.