Jakarta, Feb. 13 -- Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment said it is intensifying area-based community empowerment to meet a 2026 target of eliminating extreme poverty, citing pilot projects showing measurable economic and social gains.

Deputy for Village, Underdeveloped and Specific Area Community Empowerment Abdul Haris said on Friday that the Widuri Pegandon area in Kendal District, Central Java, exemplifies the approach.

He said the Widuri program has entered its fifth month and is showing significant progress as a concrete model of integrated, area-based empowerment.

"Widuri is not just a project, but a real collaborative space for communities, where surrounding villages are both beneficiaries and key actors ...