"Free meals for children is a vital part of our strategy. This is also part of empowering our young generation so that they can get the benefits of education," Prabowo remarked at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday (Nov 18).
He praised Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for making the issue of poverty and hunger the focus of the first session of the G20 Summit.
According to Prabowo, recently elected president of a country with the fourth-largest population in the world, hunger and poverty are real problems for Indonesia.
"We still have a large percentage of the population below the poverty line. We also see 25 percent of our children starving every day," he explained.
Prabowo stated that overcoming poverty and hunger remains vital to the country's national interests.
"Therefore, in my (State) Budget, I spend a very large percentage on education because I believe education will take us out of poverty. Education can bring a better life to our society," he noted.
Prabowo shared his delight at marking his first G20 Summit participation in his new role as Indonesia's president.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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