PCO Spokesperson Hariqo Wibawa Satria informed in a statement issued here on Saturday that the School Meals Coalition is an international coalition of over 100 countries, UN institutions, research institutions, and universities that promote school meal programs worldwide.
"The role of research and development by higher education is expected to provide science-based solutions to overcome the challenge of improving the nutrition of children and mothers in Indonesia," he said.
For this reason, the PCO lauded the commitment to establish the National Center of Excellence (NCoE) for the Free Nutritious Meals program at IPB University.
According to Satria, the collaboration between ministries, government agencies, and universities, along with international development partners, should be commended because it can ensure that the MBG program can reach its target beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries of the MBG program include children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers throughout Indonesia.
While delivering his speech at the 2025 World Governments Summit, he said President Prabowo Subianto has emphasized that free nutritious meals are an important investment to improve the quality of life for over 85 million children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.
"President Prabowo believes that the role of the international community, the private sector, and universities is crucial to realizing MBG goals," he added.
He said the President believes that the international community can provide support in terms of technology, funding, and knowledge sharing to increase the program's effectiveness.
Meanwhile, the rector of IPB University, Arif Satria, expressed his appreciation for the trust given by the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), National Nutrition Agency, and UNICEF to make IPB a center of excellence for MBG.
The IPB is ready to optimize the mobilization of lecturers as researchers, trainers, and innovators, as well as the development and utilization of facilities in laboratories, departments, and study centers to make the MBG program a success.
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Translator: M Prasetyo, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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