North Sumatra partners with UNICEF to expand sanitation and toilet availability

The Provincial Government of North Sumatra is partnering with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to expand access to proper sanitation and improve the availability of healthy latrines throughout the region. ‘Sanitation is one of the main focuses that requires serious attention,’ said North Sumatra Acting Regional Secretary Sulaiman Harahap after opening a coordination meeting with UNICEF on the action plan for the 2026–2030 cooperation programme at the governor’s office on Wednesday. Based on provincial government data, there are still 134,434 substandard latrines and 94,088 unsafe water sources across 33 districts and cities in North Sumatra. ‘This condition shows that the challenge of providing safe sanitation and drinking water services still requires attention and support from various parties,’ Sulaiman stated. He added that the provincial government is paying particular attention to the sanitation sector as stunting prevalence in North Sumatra remains at 22 per cent in 2024. This forms part of efforts to accelerate the reduction of stunting prevalence in North Sumatra, which is targeted to fall to 12.5 per cent by 2030. ‘The target for reducing the stunting rate by 2030 has been set at 12.5 per cent,’ Sulaiman emphasised. He also expressed hope that UNICEF can play a role in strengthening the capacity of local governments in North Sumatra to support the achievement of that target. ‘For example, developing community behavioural change strategies to stop open defecation practices and increasing access to healthy latrines for poor families and vulnerable groups,’ Sulaiman said. Acting Director of Public Health and Nutrition at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, Inti Wikanestri, said this coordination meeting is an initial step to strengthen the commitment of Indonesia–UNICEF cooperation for the 2026–2030 period. She explained that North Sumatra was chosen as the representative for Sumatra Island because it still faces a number of challenges in fulfilling children’s basic rights. UNICEF’s work in North Sumatra is focused on national and regional development priorities including improving literacy, nutrition, health, education, sanitation and child protection, with total support this year reaching IDR 4 billion. ‘We hope this cooperation can sharpen the implementation of the RPJMD and RKPD and encourage collaboration among all stakeholders,’ Inti Wikanestri said. UNICEF Indonesia Deputy Representative Jean Likenga conveyed UNICEF’s continued commitment to supporting the central and regional governments in improving the quality of life for Indonesian children. He expressed hope that synergy between central government, regional governments, UNICEF and all stakeholders can accelerate the achievement of development targets, particularly in health, education, child protection and sanitation, to be more effective, inclusive and sustainable.