Theme of ICERC 2022 – The 1st International Conference on Rural Community Empowerment brings up the theme of “Collaborative Community Empowerment to Optimize the Implementation of Self-Sufficient Community Initiatives”. This theme is motivated by The Ministerial Regulation of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform Number 28 of 2018 concerning the Functional Position of Community Self-Help Mobilizers (PSM) stated that PSM Functional Officers have the scope, duties, responsibilities, authorities, and rights to carry out the empowerment of rural communities through community empowerment to achieve independence and sustainability by the provisions of laws and regulations. In the same regulation, it is also stated that community empowerment mobilization is an activity to counsel, train, and assist the community in the development of commitment to change, community capacity building, and strengthening community independence for the realization of an independent, productive, prosperous, and competitive society.
The duties and functions of PSM in the mobilization of community empowerment carried out by counseling, training, and accompanying, not all of them have a regulatory basis yet. Currently, the available regulations are only related to training, namely The Ministerial Regulation of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Number 9 of 2016 concerning Community Training. The implementation of PSM duties has been more in the realm of training, especially in the Community Empowerment and Training Centers within the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration since 2014 still used the nomenclature of Community Training Centers, and in 2020 it was changed to a Community Empowerment and Training and Center (referring to The Ministerial Regulation of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Number 22 of 2020 concerning the Organization and Work Procedures of the Technical Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration.
The Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration through the Human Resources Development Agency also has the task of managing Professional Assistants (TPP). Referring to the Ministerial Regulation of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Number 19 of 2020 concerning Amendments to the Ministerial Regulation of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Number 18 of 2019 concerning General Guidelines for Rural Community Assistance, it is explained that TPP is human resources who have qualifications and competencies in the field of development assistance and rural community empowerment recruited by the ministry that organizes government affairs in the field of village development and rural areas, empowerment of rural communities, acceleration of development of disadvantaged areas, and transmigration. The regulation is also the basis for the implementation of assistance duties by the TPP. Regulations are also contained in the
Ministerial Decree of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Number 40 of 2021 concerning Technical Guidelines for Rural Community Assistance.
The policy of capacity improvement and synergy to optimize the implementation of community self-help mobilization. Article 127 of Government Regulation Number 43 of 2014, states that the government, provincial governments, district/city governments, and village governments make efforts for rural community empowerment. Furthermore, Article 127 paragraph (2) letter h of the same regulation states that rural community empowerment is carried out, among others, through improving the quality and capacity of village community human resources.
Due to all the explanations above, it is necessary for civil servants or ASN in the government environment, provincial government, district/city regional governments, and village governments who have the task and function of community empowerment. In this case, PSM has the scope, duties, responsibilities, authorities, and rights to implement rural community empowerment through community self-help mobilizing to achieve sustainable independence. Thus, rural community empowerment carried out by PSM must also include improving the quality and capacity of rural community human resources.
In connection with the foregoing, rural community empowerment through assistance carried out by the TPP based on the Ministerial Regulation of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Number 19 of 2020, as well as community empowerment carried out by PSM through the mobilization of community empowerment based on The Ministerial Regulation of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform Number 28 of 2018 and through improving the quality and capacity of human resources of rural communities based on the Government Regulation Number 43 of 2014 Article 127 that it needs to collaborate.
Sub-theme
- Regulations and initiatives in rural community empowerment toward self-sufficient community
- Collaboration in rural community empowerment
- Digital transformation in rural community empowerment
- Rural community empowerment through education
- The roles of industry in rural community empowerment
- Best practices in rural community empowerment
- Opportunities and challenges in managing Self-Sufficient community initiatives
