The increase in the prices of food and energy due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict has become a challenge to accelerating efforts to eradicate extreme poverty in Indonesia, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) said.
“We are faced with the increase in the prices of various food and energy commodities due to the geopolitical situation that has not shown signs of ending,” BRIN Head Laksana Tri Handoko said at a webinar themed “Realizing the Acceleration of Extreme Poverty Eradication in 2024,” which was accessed from here on Wednesday.
The global challenge has had an impact on efforts to accelerate extreme poverty eradication in Indonesia at the macro level, which include policies to maintain inflation or price stability, create inclusive economic growth, create productive employment opportunities, and maintain the investment climate, he noted.
At the micro level, the policy of reducing the burden of spending and increasing the income of the poor through productive economic programs is also facing serious challenges, Handoko added.
“Two strategic issues that have become challenges at the micro level are data accuracy and synergies between programs involving ministries or institutions and the business world,” he remarked.
Based on Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, the proportion of extremely poor people in Indonesia declined from 7.9 percent to 3.7 percent in the 2014–2019 period, he said.
However, in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of the extreme poor increased to 3.8 percent, and in September 2020, it rose again to 4.2 percent, he added.
“But Alhamdulillah (thank God), it declined again to 3.79 percent in September 2021,” he said.
According to the BRIN head, one of the forms of the government’s commitment to accelerating the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is eradicating extreme poverty, which is targeted to be achieved in 2024.
According to him, the target was emphasized by President Joko Widodo at a limited cabinet meeting on the poverty alleviation strategy on March 4, 2022.
“In 2024, it (extreme poverty) is expected to reach zero percent. It means six years faster than the extreme poverty eradication target in SDGs,” he remarked.
Source: Antara News