AHY Affirms Sustainable Infrastructure as a Development Paradigm

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (Menko IPK) Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) has affirmed that infrastructure development must serve as the primary instrument for achieving inclusive economic growth whilst preserving the environment.

According to AHY, sustainability must become the main paradigm of national development, no longer merely a supplementary issue in policy formulation.

“We must present policies and strategies to build resilience as a nation, but also competitiveness. And this must be grounded in three pillars,” said AHY in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The first pillar, he said, is economic progress and growth. The second is welfare for the people. And the last, no less important, is environmental sustainability.

He said global dynamics marked by geopolitical uncertainty, conflict, climate change, and technological developments require Indonesia to build resilience whilst enhancing competitiveness through development policies capable of balancing economic growth, public welfare, and environmental preservation.

In his capacity as Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, AHY explained that infrastructure development is directed towards strengthening food, energy, and water security.

It also aims to improve the quality of people’s lives, strengthen national connectivity, support environmental resilience, and achieve equitable development across all regions of Indonesia.

In his view, infrastructure development is no longer measured solely by the number of projects built, but also by the benefits it delivers to society and its capacity to address climate change challenges.

“The environment is a very important, highly strategic and global issue. But it certainly requires infrastructure support. Infrastructure is not just about how much we build, but how good its benefits and impacts are, including how strong its resilience is against various potential natural disasters,” said AHY.

Furthermore, he affirmed that sustainable development can only be realised through collaboration among all elements of the pentahelix: government, business, academia, communities, and the media.

“We need a pillar, not only a solid pillar of democracy, but also one that brings education and builds awareness among the wider public about sustainability, about the issues facing our Earth and environment,” he said.