The World Bank Board of Executive Directors on June 26, 2023, approved a program to provide additional support to expand Indonesia's efforts to improve the delivery and quality of health and nutrition services for adolescent girls, pregnant women, and young children to accelerate the reduction of stunting among children under five.
Stunting, caused by undernutrition and frequent infections, can result in slower growth, cognitive damage, and impaired learning. The World Bank's Human Capital Project identifies stunting reduction as crucial for countries to reach their full productive potential. Concerted efforts by Indonesia have lowered stunting rates from 31.4 percent in 2018 to 21.6 percent in 2022, and the country's goal is to cut stunting further to 14 percent by 2024. The World Bank's Investing in Nutrition and Early Years (INEY) Phase 2 Program will extend the duration and scope of World Bank support to the Government of Indonesia's National Program for the Acceleration of Stunting Reduction.
"Investments in our children, our most important human capital, are investments in our future," said Amich Alhumami, Deputy for Human Development, Community and Culture, Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency of the Republic of Indonesia. "Good health and good nutrition provide the foundation for more equitable and prosperous lives. This is one of the many reasons Indonesia was one of the first countries to join the Human Capital Project and we remain a committed partner."
The program will build on previous successes to focus on sustaining momentum to reach the 14 percent target. It will aim to continue and deepen national leadership of stunting reduction efforts, improve the delivery of high-impact, nutrition-specific, nutrition-sensitive interventions, and strengthen regional and community-level coordination around stunting reduction. It will be implemented using the World Bank's Program for Results (P4R) approach, in which financial support is disbursed as the Government achieves specific program results.
"We are pleased to see positive results of government's efforts in stunting reduction to date, which were supported by the World Bank through the INEY Phase 1 Program. said World Bank Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste Satu Kahkonen. "The INEY Phase 2 Program is continuation of our collaboration with the government and our support for Indonesia in accelerating its human capital development, a crucial component of its aspiration to become a high-income country."
Financing of US$ 600 million is from the World Bank's International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Additional support will come from a US$ 16 million grant from the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, as well as technical partnership from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Tanoto Foundation, and with additional contribution expected from the Gavi Alliance. The World Bank's support for Indonesia's nutrition sector is an important component of the World Bank Group's Country Partnership Framework 2021-2025, which focuses on government priorities for accelerating human capital development.
