Indonesia’s future capital, Ibukota Nusantara (IKN), is set to become a child-friendly city that’s recognized around the world, according to Moeldoko, the Chief of Staff to the President. To achieve this vision, he’s calling for intensified efforts to tackle stunting and malnutrition in children, especially in the areas surrounding IKN. With a strong focus on child health and well-being, IKN has the potential to set a new global standard for urban planning and development, placing Indonesia at the forefront of the fight against childhood malnutrition.
Speaking at a meeting with representatives from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Indonesia on Thursday (23/2), Moeldoko called for intensified efforts to tackle stunting and malnutrition in children, particularly in the areas surrounding IKN.
“UNICEF needs to strengthen IKN, especially by expanding support to local governments in the Penajam Paser Utara district. We cannot have stunting and malnutrition in the vicinity of IKN,” he said.
Moeldoko urged for a large-scale campaign between UNICEF and several government ministries to raise awareness about the seriousness of stunting among the public. He emphasized that stunting is a major concern for President Joko Widodo and that his policies to combat the issue have been successful, with a decline from 37.2% to 21.6% in stunting prevalence since 2013.
Moeldoko hopes that by the time IKN is established as the capital in 2024, stunting and malnutrition in the surrounding areas will be eradicated, stating, “we must work hard to achieve the target reduction in stunting alongside the IKN development target.”
UNICEF has been collaborating with the Indonesian government on vaccination campaigns and stunting prevention since 2017. Country Representative of UNICEF Indonesia, Maniza Zaman, expressed UNICEF’s interest in discussing IKN’s potential to become a Child Friendly City, recognized by the Child Friendly Cities Initiatives. She also suggested the digitalization of stunting data to achieve the 2024 stunting prevalence target.
UNICEF believes that Indonesia should showcase its efforts to combat stunting to the world, following in the footsteps of Peru, Thailand, Vietnam, and Brazil, which have successfully reduced stunting prevalence rates. Post-pandemic, UNICEF is committed to helping Indonesia catch up on healthcare services that have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
