"Indonesia will continue to work hard, (and) struggle to improve the quality of villages throughout the country," Deputy Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Ahmad Riza Patria, said at a symposium held by ASEAN, China, and UNDP on SDG7 in Bali on Monday.
The three priorities are village development, women's empowerment in the village community, and increasing food security through sustainable practices.
According to Patria, the Indonesian government is consistently supporting the integration of SDGs in rural development policies.
He said that the Building Village Index will expedite efforts to create independent and competitive villages.
He noted that currently, Indonesia has around 75,265 villages, which are categorized as advanced, independent, developing, disadvantaged, and very disadvantaged.
The government is also establishing village cooperatives to help meet the needs of villagers as well as supporting their independence in carrying out sustainable development.
The second priority—women's empowerment—is a strategic element of social and cultural structures in villages. Women not only play a role in the household but are also the driving force of the economy, tradition, and social resilience.
"We put women's empowerment as a priority in various programs, including the involvement of pregnant women in the Free Nutritious Meals program," Patria said.
The third priority is increasing food security in a sustainable way.
He explained that currently, the government is implementing a two-million-hectare land printing program to build food sovereignty.
Patria said he hopes that the symposium would bridge sectors and countries in localizing global SDG goals for implementation amid global challenges such as poverty, environmental crisis, natural and humanitarian disasters, and energy transition.
"Indonesia believes when the village is advanced, the world will move toward justice," he added.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut Sudiarta Wiguna, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Arie Novarina
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