JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, held a meeting with the World Bank Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Carolyn Turk, and her team at the Ministry of Villages office in Jakarta on Monday (Feb 23, 2026).

During the meeting, Minister Yandri expressed his appreciation to the World Bank for its cooperation and support for the Indonesian government, particularly through funding for village development and community empowerment.

To maximize the program's impact, both parties agreed on the need for meetings to finalize management procedures, transparency, schemes, focus, and the specific locations (locus) for managing the aid funds destined for thousands of Indonesian villages.

"This is to ensure that when the funds are disbursed, they are precisely targeted, impactful, and can ultimately improve the standard of living for people in the villages," Minister Yandri stated.

Furthermore, Minister Yandri mentioned that his ministry is currently calculating the amount of aid and the number of beneficiary villages. He emphasized the importance of avoiding social jealousy at the village level, which could arise if the number of recipient villages is too small compared to the vast total number of villages.

However, he also stressed that the quality of the program must not be compromised, ensuring that targets are still achieved. He hopes the aid can be tailored to the specific potential of each village, enabling them to rise in terms of economic independence and human resource quality.

"This is what we will discuss further with the World Bank. Is it possible to slightly reduce the amount of aid per village to increase the number of affirmed villages? But again, without lowering the quality or the targets we want to achieve," said Minister Yandri.

With this support, it is hoped that village communities can be empowered and the Village Development Index (IDM) of recipient villages can be improved.

Additionally, this program is intended to serve as a stimulus so that the assistance does not simply dissipate. The Minister hopes for a lasting impact on economic activities, particularly in elevating the livelihoods of rural communities.

Accompanying Minister Yandri at the meeting were Deputy Minister Ariza Patria, Secretary-General Taufik Madjid, Director General of PDP Nugroho Setijo Nagoro, Head of BPI Mulyadin Malik, and Special Staff to the Minister Fahad At-Tamimi.

Foto: Wening/Kemendes PDT
Teks: Rifqi/Kemendes PDT