World Bank Group President to Visit Indonesia

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim.

Jakarta, MINA – World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim will arrive in Jakarta Tuesday for a two-day visit to discuss Indonesia’s policy reforms, in particular, the effort to improve revenue collection and spend it more efficiently on key sectors, such as infrastructure and human capital.

Kim will meet with President Joko Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and a number of other ministers on Indonesia’s development priorities and how to further strengthen the successful collaboration between the World Bank Group and Indonesia, which has spanned over six decades, the World Bank said in a press release.

“Indonesia is a nation on the rise, poised to join the leading economies of the world,” Kim said. “I strongly support the government’s efforts to continue reforms that will benefit all Indonesians, including finding ways to better collect and spend revenues to finance development.”

In Jakarta, Kim will participate in the Infrastructure Finance Forum to engage with public and private sector stakeholders on mobilizing finance for infrastructure development.

“Like many large and growing middle-income countries, Indonesia’s infrastructure gap is both an urgent challenge and an enormous opportunity,” Kim said. “Effective infrastructure investment is vital to accelerating inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and will help unlock the country’s massive potential.”

The Infrastructure Finance Forum is part of the ‘Voyage to Indonesia,’ a series of events leading to the 2018 World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings which will be held in October next year in Indonesia.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the government and the people of Indonesia for hosting the 2018 Annual Meetings,” Kim said. “This global platform will showcase Indonesia’s many development successes, as well as its vibrant culture and natural beauty.”

To further raise awareness of Indonesia’s challenges in human capital development, Kim will give a public talk to Indonesia’s youth on the importance of investing in children during their early years.

“Early childhood interventions are critical to end the epidemic of stunting, and they’re among the most cost-effective investments for a country to reduce inequality, promote future growth, and increase prosperity,” Kim said. “Healthy, happy children will become productive members of society and Indonesia’s engine of economic growth. Investing in them is critical to achieve Indonesia’s high aspirations.”

The latest national health survey estimates that 9 million Indonesian children under the age of five are stunted, around one-third of all children under 5 years old. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)