World Bank Group president to visit Indonesia

JAKARTA. President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim will be on a two-day visit to Jakarta to discuss policy reforms to increase revenue and encourage more efficient spending in infrastructure and human resources.

"I strongly support the government's efforts to pursue reforms that will benefit the entire population of Indonesia, which include finding ways to better collect and spend revenue to finance the country's development," he said in a statement received by Antara in Jakarta, Monday.

He is scheduled to visit the country on July 25-26 during which he will meet Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and several other ministers.

As stated in his itinerary, Kim will participate in the Infrastructure Funding Forum aimed at engaging stakeholders in both the public and private sector in mobilizing the financial schemes of infrastructure development.

"The infrastructure gap in Indonesia is an urgent challenge, but it also provides a huge opportunity. Effective infrastructure investment is critical to accelerating inclusive and sustainable economic growth, as it will also help open access to the country's enormous potentials," he stated.

The Infrastructure Financing Forum, scheduled to be held on Tuesday (July 25), is part of a series of events leading to the IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting in 2018, due to be organized in October 2018 in Bali, Indonesia.

"I would like to extend my appreciation to the government and people of Indonesia who will kindly be hosting the 2018 Annual Meetings. This global event will bring forward much of Indonesia's success in development as well as its cultural diversity and natural beauty," he added.

Furthermore, Kim will disseminate his message to Indonesia's younger generation about the importance of investment during their youth in order to further raise awareness of the Indonesian challenge in building human resources.

He believed that intervention since an early age is crucial in the efforts to end the epidemic of chronic stunting, as it is also the most cost-effective investment for a country to reduce inequality and promote future growth and prosperity.

"A healthy and happy child will grow to become a productive member of society and eventually drive Indonesia's economic growth. Investing in this field is essential in order to realize Indonesia's high aspirations," he remarked.

Currently, a national health survey has estimated that about nine million Indonesian children, or about one-third of all kids under the age of five, were experiencing stunted growth.

(Satyagraha)