The long-term goal of the Peace Village program is to create a democratic and just society that upholds the values of tolerance of diversity and peace. This goal was translated into the establishment of Peace Villages in Indonesia.
The main actors of the Peace Village program are women. This program creates peace cadres from women in the Peace Villages, who will promote tolerance and peace, in order to establish solid social cohesion. These peace cadres are directly involved in and gain reinforcement through organizations and training sessions to strengthen the capacity of women's groups in the villages.
In addition, the Peace Village program also develops economic empowerment programs in the form of microcredit and entrepreneurship schemes. This program acts as a bridge to encourage interactions among groups of different ethnicities, religions, and beliefs. Collaborations among government, civil society and private sector actors are part of the program. Therefore, in many of the activities of the program, they involve representatives of the government, social and religious organizations, and the private sector.
Therefore, Peace Village offers a model for women’s roles in promoting social cohesion and resilient communities to cultivate peace. This is in line with both global and national commitment on women peace and security. UNSCR 1325, UNSCR 2242, UNSCR 2282, CEDAW, SDG 5 and 16 are among the global commitments that provide foundation for women’s participation and leadership in sustaining peace. Indonesia has issued its National Action Plan on Protection and Empowerment of Women and Children in Social Conflict (RAN P3AKS) since 2014. Peace Village is an innovative approach to contribute to the realization of the commitments, policies and programs.