The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (MoWECP) awarded the 2025 Inspiring Women Award to three women working in the marine and fisheries sector as part of the 97th Mother’s Day commemoration held in Jakarta on 22 December 2025.

The award recipients were Sri Fany Mony, Chairperson of the Dullah Tama Fish Processing and Marketing Group (POKLAHSAR) from Southeast Maluku Regency; Novatheodora J.M. Essuruw, Chairperson of the Gulama Fish Processing Group from Kaimana Regency, West Papua; and Martha Lotang, Founder and Chairperson of the Cinta Persahabatan Group from East Nusa Tenggara.

Among the three awardees, two—Sri Fany Mony and Novatheodora J.M. Essuruw—are women fisherfolk supported by the GEF-6 Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI) Indonesia Project. Both were recognized for delivering tangible impacts in strengthening coastal economies, advancing women’s empowerment, and promoting sustainable fisheries resource management.

The 2025 Inspiring Women Award was granted through a collaborative selection process between MoWECP and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF). The assessment considered women’s leadership, socio-economic impact at the community level, and contributions to sustainability in the marine and fisheries sector.

Deputy Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia, Admiral (Ret.) Dr. Didit Herdiawan Ashaf, M.P.A., M.B.A., delivers remarks at the 2025 Mother’s Day Commemoration and the 2025 Inspiring Women Award Ceremony, Jakarta (22 December 2025)

Deputy Minister Dr. Didit Herdiawan Ashaf expressed his appreciation to the award recipients, who were considered to have demonstrated the strategic role of women in strengthening food security, local economies, and the sustainability of coastal resources.

According to Dr. Ashaf, MMAF remains committed to promoting women’s empowerment in the marine and fisheries sector through inclusive policies with a gender perspective. “This award is not only a form of recognition, but also a source of inspiration for the emergence of more resilient women who contribute to an inclusive, sustainable, and equitable marine and fisheries development,” he stated.

The 2025 Mother’s Day Commemoration carried the theme “Empowered and Creative Women for a Golden Indonesia 2045,” underscoring the role of women as key agents of national development, including in coastal areas and fishing communities.

Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Dra. Hj. Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, M.Si., delivers remarks at the 2025 Mother’s Day Commemoration and 2025 Inspiring Women Award Ceremony, Jakarta (22 December 2025)

Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Dra. Hj. Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, M.Si., emphasized that the 97th Mother’s Day serves as a national momentum to strengthen the role of women as pillars of national resilience. With nearly half of Indonesia’s population being women, women’s empowerment constitutes a strategic foundation for long-term development towards Indonesia Emas 2045.

She highlighted the importance of gender-responsive, inclusive, and equitable policies, including protection for women workers and women living in vulnerable areas. As part of the 2025 Mother’s Day series, the government introduced concrete actions, including the presentation of awards to inspiring women and the strengthening of protections for women workers through the implementation of Women Workers Protection Houses (RP3), planned to begin in 2026 in at least 300 major companies.

Deputy Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia, Admiral (Ret.) Dr. Didit Herdiawan Ashaf, M.P.A., M.B.A., presents the 2025 Inspiring Woman Award to Sri Fany Mony, Chairperson of POKLAHSAR Dullah Tama, Ohoi Watkidat, Southeast Maluku, Jakarta (22 December 2025)

Sri Fany Mony, Chairperson of POKLAHSAR Dullah Tama in Ohoi Watkidat, Southeast Maluku, was recognized for driving economic transformation among coastal women. Previously a housewife with no income-generating activities, she now leads a productive group developing various fish-based products and ecoprint handicrafts. In 2025, the Dullah Tama group recorded revenues of IDR 44.1 million, an increase of approximately 16 percent from the previous year, and actively shared best practices at national and international levels.

Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Dra. Hj. Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, M.Si., presents the 2025 Inspiring Woman Award to Novatheodora J.M. Essuruw, Chairperson of Gulama Fish Processing Group in Arguni Bay, Kaimana, Jakarta (22/12/2025)

Meanwhile, Novatheodora J.M. Essuruw, with the Gulama Fish Processing Group in Arguni Bay, Kaimana, developed Chinese snapper processing into nutritious, value-added food products. This initiative not only reduces fishery resource waste but also strengthens household food security and creates new income opportunities for coastal women.

Products from the supported group have reached regional markets in West Papua and Papua, receiving various recognitions at the local level. Support provided also includes business capacity strengthening and compliance with food safety standards.

Director General of Capture Fisheries, Lotharia Latif, explained that the award recipients were selected through a collaborative process between the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF). Assessment criteria included women’s leadership, socio-economic impacts at the community level, and contributions to sustainable fisheries resource management.

Both award recipients are Champions under CFI Indonesia, part of the GEF-6 CFI Indonesia Project, a grant collaboration between the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and WWF-US as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Agency. The project focuses on strengthening sustainable fisheries governance in Fisheries Management Areas (WPP) 715, 717, and 718 in Eastern Indonesia.

Champions are trained small-scale fishers who serve as community trainers and agents of change. They are equipped with technical skills, value-added fish processing capabilities, the use of environmentally friendly technologies, and the application of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) practices, thereby contributing directly to the strengthening of a sustainable blue economy

Since its inception in 2019 and running through 2026, the GEF-6 CFI Indonesia Project has reached more than 5,500 fishers, with approximately 32 percent being women. Through the EAFM approach, CFI Indonesia promotes sustainable fisheries integrated with livelihood strengthening and enhanced roles of women as agents of change within their communities.

CFI Indonesia Project Manager, Adipati Rahmat Gumelar, stated that the Champion model developed by CFI Indonesia represents a good practice that can be replicated nationally. “We prepare our Champions as community mobilizers capable of continuing sustainable fisheries practices and economic empowerment even after the project concludes,” he said.

The stories of Sri Fany and Novatheodora, the 2025 Inspiring Women Award recipients, demonstrate that empowering women fishers not only improves household economies but also supports sustainable coastal resource management, aligning with the national development agenda towards Indonesia Emas 2045.