Now the province has made much progress since peace was created there."Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - The peace agreement ending a three-decade old armed conflict in the westernmost Indonesian province of Aceh has brought meaning to the local peoples welfare, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla said.
"The meaning of peace is reflected by the poverty statistic data. Before the conflict erupted, Aceh had the fourth lowest poverty rate in Indonesia. Now the province has made much progress since peace was created there," he said in his scientific address to a function marking his inauguration of honoris cause doctorate degree at Syiah Kuala University here Saturday.
In 1990, Aceh had a poverty rate of 11.5 percent, far lower than the national poverty rate of 19.6 percent, he said.
Three years before the signing of the peace agreement in August 2005 the poverty rate in Aceh increased three-fold to 29.8 percent, making it one of the provinces with the highest poverty rate, along with Papua, West Papua, Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara, he said.
The poverty rate in Aceh steadily declined to 17 percent as of September 2014, while its human development index rose to 73.1 in 2013 from 69.1 in 2005, according to statistical data.
"We should thank God that all the achievements that the people of Aceh have felt and enjoyed are likely the result of peaceful and conducive conditions in Aceh," he said.
The university bestowed the honoris causa doctorate degree on the vice president in recognition of his role in mitigating the impact of the deadly tsunami on December 26, 2004, and negotiations leading to the signing of the peace agreement in Helsinki in August 2005.
(Reported by Fransiska Ninditya/Uu.S012/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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