The Village SDGs will make the direction of village development clear, facilitate the implementation of development programs, as well as make it easier to assess the results, benefits, and impacts of the programs.
Jakarta (ANTARA) – Villages, Disadvantaged Regions Development, and Transmigration (PDTT) Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar likened solving all issues on village development to settling 84 percent of the development problems in Indonesia.
Thus, the Village PDTT Ministry held a discussion, here, Tuesday, with the University Forum for Villages (Pertides) regarding the progress and acceleration of village development.
The minister noted in a statement received on Wednesday that various development ideas generated by the forum would become an important basis for expediting the development in villages, especially on economic growth and human resources.
“The two aspects are expected to be discussed for the short (development plan) term (in) 2023-2024 and the medium (development plan) term (in) 2025-2045,” he stated.
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He remarked that the ministry had earlier provided Rp468 trillion of village funding that was proven successful in encouraging village development, realizing strong economic resilience in villages, as well as reducing the poverty rates in villages.
According to Iskandar, villages had experienced significant development. As of 2022, there were around 6,300 independent villages. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the number of underdeveloped and very underdeveloped villages.
The provinces of Bali, East Java, West Java, Yogyakarta, and Bangka Belitung had managed to completely eradicate underdeveloped villages in their regions, he stated.
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“However, in future, the determination of village status (the developed, underdeveloped, and very underdeveloped) must be reconstructed since there will be different (development) challenges,” he added.
Furthermore, the minister ensured that the Village Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could still became a relatable guide for all parties to encourage village development.
“The Village SDGs will make the direction of village development clear, facilitate the implementation of development programs, as well as make it easier to assess the results, benefits, and impacts of the programs,” he added.
Head of Pertides Panut Mulyono said that universities had a role in the success of the implementation of Village SDGs by creating various innovations, encouraging the formulation of research-based policies, as well as improving the competence of village officers through training.
“The implementation of thematic KKN (real work lecture) on the development of village potentials is also important (to support Village SDGs),” he noted.
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