The International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) has published a guidebook to help local administrations implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The INFID’s senior program officer for the SDGs, Hamong Santono, said the global agenda, which aimed to reduce inequality, should be integrated into the regional development agenda to make its implementation successful.

“There are some examples and initiatives conducted in the real world to reduce inequality. This is not a one-size-fits-all strategy, but it shows that SDGs can be truly achieved,” he told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Monday.

The book reveals that Kulon Progo Regent Hasto Wardoyo in Yogyakarta initiated a program to alleviate poverty called “Warung Miskin” (pauper’s stall). Partnering with the Damandiri Foundation, he founded Toserba Posdaya, which supplies goods to the needy at below market prices.

The poverty rate in Kulon Progo dropped to 19.02 percent in 2014 from 21.39 percent in the previous year. The Gini ratio–the coefficient that measures inequality in income distribution—also fell to 0.29 percent in 2013 from 0.34 percent a year earlier.

The SDG agenda has been adopted by world leaders at the UN summit last year. The 17 goals and 169 targets are aimed at tackling some of the world's biggest problems, including poverty and inequality (win/ags)