Jakarta, Indonesia, 24 September 2026 — Strengthening local communities and utilizing digital technology are two important approaches in driving village economic self-reliance. This was one of the main topics discussed at the national forum themed "Pemajuan Kebudayaan Desa dan Penguatan Ekonomi Desa" (Village Cultural Advancement and Village Economic Strengthening), organized by the Ministry of Culture on Thursday, 24 September 2026.
The forum, which raised the theme "Youth Entrepreneurship," brought together hundreds of participants from various regions in Indonesia, ranging from village youth, cultural communities, managers of the Village Cultural Advancement Program, cultural-based creative economy actors, government and village facilitators, community activists, students and academics, to MSME actors and the general public.
The discussion highlighted the importance of placing local communities—especially the younger generation—as the main drivers in developing village potential. At the same time, digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) can be utilized as tools to expand access to information, promotion, and economic opportunities without eliminating cultural values or community control over local assets.
The forum was opened by Syukur Asih Suprojo, Director of Human Resources Development, Institutions, and Cultural Institutions at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia. In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of strengthening human resource and institutional capacity at the village level so that culture can develop as an asset that provides sustainable benefits for the community.
"Village culture is the foundation of national resilience. Through strengthening human resource capacity and customary institutions, we want to ensure that the process of cultural advancement is able to give rise to an independent ecosystem, in which village communities are full owners of their knowledge as well as strategic decision-makers in driving the local economy."