President Jokowi Urges Efforts for 14% Stunting Rate Reduction

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inspects the activities of the Joint Intervention Movement for Stunting Prevention at the integrated health service post (posyandu) in North Cipete, Kebayoran Baru district, South Jakarta, Tuesday (06/11). (Photo by: BPMI Presidential Secretariat/Rusman)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo accompanied by First Lady Ibu Iriana Jokowi, Tuesday (06/11) inspected the operations of integrated health service post (posyandu) at community unit (RW) 02 in North Cipete, Jakarta.

According to the President, 338 thousand posyandu nationwide simultaneously implemented the mass weighing of toddlers.

“During the nationwide event commemorating the month of weighing toddlers, the activity is scheduled to take place simultaneously at 338 thousand operational posyandu across the country,” the President said.

The President underlined that the issue of child stunting demands close attention as it can inhibit children physical growth and overall development. Despite a noticeable decrease in stunting prevalence rate over the past 9 years, it only declined by 0.1 percent in 2023.

“Back in 2014, we were still grappling with a staggering 37 [percent] stunting rate. Fast forward 9 years, and we’ve made significant progress, bringing it down to 21 [percent]. Well, last year’s decline was marginal, just 0.1 percent. Nevertheless, we still need to acknowledge and appreciate the relentless efforts of our regions and posyandu in tackling this issue,” he said.

On that occasion, the President said that stunting is not solely a nutritional issue but is intricately linked to environmental sanitation as well. A hygienic and safe environment that is free from contamination plays a crucial role in disease prevention and enhances nutritional absorption among children.

“Stunting goes beyond just providing supplementary food; it encompasses nutrition, sanitation, village and neighborhood environments, and even water quality issues. All these factors significantly influence stunting rates, highlighting the need for cohesive and integrated efforts. It’s about working together, pooling resources, and consolidating efforts to ensure tangible and lasting results,” he added.

The President expressed his belief in achieving ambitious targets for reducing stunting yet emphasized that it requires collective and diligent efforts from everyone to reach this goal.

“Yes, our target is quite ambitious, aiming to reduce from 37 percent to 14 percent. It’s a challenging goal, but we can achieve it with concerted effort. We’ll assess our progress by the end of the year to see how close we are to the target,” the President remarked. (KSK/ABD) (RIF/RAS/LW)