VP praises North Sulawesi for reducing stunting and poverty rates

KOTA MANADO - Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has praised the North Sulawesi provincial government for successfully reducing poverty, stunting, and unemployment rates in the Sulawesi region. “I congratulate the governor (Yulius Selvanus); since early June, North Sulawesi has received various awards,” Vice President Gibran said in his opening remarks at the regional youth and young adult camp of the Pentecostal Church in Indonesia (GPdI) for the North Sulawesi region on Monday. At the event held in Pinilih Village, Dimembe District, North Minahasa Regency, the Vice President noted that in March 2025, the poverty rate in the province fell from 6.71 percent to 6.62 percent. Similarly, the stunting prevalence rate dropped from 21.3 percent to 20.8 percent, while the open unemployment rate decreased from 6.03 percent to 5.75 percent. “Congratulations to the governor,” Vice President Gibran added. North Sulawesi Province, under the administration of Governor Yulius Selvanus and Deputy Governor Victor J Mailangkay, successfully dominated the prestigious 2026 Regional Sulawesi High-Achieving Local Government Awards held in Kendari. At the event, which serves as a performance barometer for local governments across Sulawesi, the North Sulawesi Provincial Government won the most awards, including first place at the provincial level for the poverty alleviation and stunting reduction category. For this achievement, the North Sulawesi Provincial Government received fiscal incentive funds amounting to Rp3 billion from the central government. The award was presented by the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Djamari Chaniago, to Governor Yulius Selvanus, witnessed by regional heads and senior central government officials.