Government Strengthens Commitment to Stunting Reduction through Precision Data

The government continues to strengthen its commitment to accelerating the reduction of stunting prevalence through enhanced cross-sector coordination and collaboration for more precise stunting data. Secretary of the Ministry of Population and Family Development (Sesmendukbangga)/Principal Secretary of BKKBN Budi Setiyono emphasised the importance of implementing a precision data-based approach using names and addresses (by name by address) as the primary instrument to support intervention effectiveness. “This approach allows the government to more accurately identify individuals, families, and regions requiring priority attention, so that programmes implemented can reach the target groups that truly need them,” Budi stated in Jakarta on Thursday. He also stressed that strengthening the data system must be carried out continuously through improving the quality of data collection, validation, periodic updating, and data integration between ministries and agencies. “Kemendukbangga/BKKBN has so far built a database of families at risk of stunting down to the village/sub-district level, which can serve as a basis for intervention by cross-ministry/agency and regional governments,” Budi said. He further affirmed that strong coordination is not only necessary at the central level but must also be realised down to the regional level, where regional governments play a crucial role as the frontline implementers of programmes because they deal directly with the community and understand the conditions and needs of their respective regions. “Therefore, policy support, technical assistance, and capacity building for regional governments need to be continuously enhanced to ensure the successful implementation of programmes,” he said. This will ultimately yield significant results in improving the quality of life for the community and developing superior, healthy, and competitive Indonesian human resources to capitalise on the demographic bonus and achieve the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision. The Investing in Nutrition and Early Years (INEY) Programme from the World Bank and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) also serves as a strategic forum to strengthen synergy among ministries and agencies in realising more integrated, targeted, and sustainable stunting reduction efforts. Collaboration between parties is crucial because stunting is a multidimensional problem that is not only related to aspects of nutritional intake and health but is also closely linked to environmental quality, access to clean water and adequate sanitation, food security, education, social protection, family empowerment, and the socioeconomic conditions of the community. “Efforts to accelerate stunting reduction cannot be carried out partially or sectorally but require policy alignment, programme synchronisation, and strong coordination at all levels of government,” Budi said.