“The phase from pregnancy until a child reaches the age of two is a golden period that can never be repeated,” Ratu Ayu Isyana Bagoes Oka said in a statement.
“The best investment we can make for the nation’s future is ensuring that every child receives optimal nutrition, health care and parenting during this crucial period," she said.
Oka made the remarks at the 2026 National Nutrition Day summit organised by the Women Care and Sharing Community Foundation (KPPB) at Taman Ismail Marzuki Park in Jakarta.
She said preventing stunting and optimising the first 1,000 days of life were a shared responsibility that extended beyond mothers.
“Support must also come from fathers, extended families, communities and inclusive government policies,” she said, underscoring the need for broad-based involvement to improve child health outcomes.
During the event, the ministry and KPPB, along with expert speakers and representatives from the business sector and community groups, signed a joint declaration pledging to work together to safeguard what she described as the “golden period” of early childhood.
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The declaration symbolised a collective commitment to strengthen coordination across government agencies, civil society and the private sector in tackling malnutrition and related health challenges.
As a show of direct support, Oka and KPPB founder Meiline Tenardi distributed basic food assistance to two mothers representing participants, a gesture aimed at highlighting tangible backing for families.
Tenardi said collaboration was essential in addressing challenges at the community level, stressing that nutrition was not only about food.
“It is about how life is shaped from an early stage,” she said, adding that early intervention could have lasting effects on a child’s physical and cognitive development.
Indonesia has made stunting reduction a national priority, with the government rolling out a range of programmes targeting maternal health, infant nutrition and access to clean water and sanitation.
Officials say strengthening care during the first 1,000 days of life is key to breaking the cycle of malnutrition and poverty, particularly in vulnerable regions.
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Translator: Lintang, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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