Several countries have introduced programmes like the Free Nutritious Meals programme (MBG) launched in Indonesia in January. At the request of the Government, the United Nations in Indonesia is supporting these efforts, based on scientific research and international experience from around the world. This flagship programme of President Prabowo Subianto is designed to ensure access to balanced and healthy meals for school children, preschoolers, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, addressing the triple burden of malnutrition: undernutrition, overweight, and micronutrient deficiencies. Meals are distributed through schools, community centres and local health facilities.“The UN in Indonesia stands fully behind the development priorities of the President and the Government, and support to the MGB has become a cornerstone of our cooperation framework,” said Gita Sabharwal, Resident Coordinator of the UN in Indonesia. As of May 2025, 1011 kitchens in 34 provinces provide meals to over 2 million beneficiaries. By the end of the year, the government plans to expand to 30,000 centralised kitchens, expected to provide food to up to 82.9 million people. By leveraging technology and partnerships with local farmers and suppliers, the programme aims to promote healthy eating habits while supporting the local economy.   How exactly does the UN in Indonesia support the Government of Indonesia in putting nutritious food on the table for those who need it most? Scaling Up NutritionThe Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement is a global initiative of 63 countries to address all forms of malnutrition through multi-sector collaborations. In Indonesia, the movement is led by the Ministry of National Development and Planning (Bappenas), bringing together different sectors. Within the sector of Donor & UN Country Network for Nutrition (DUNCNN), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) leads a coalition of 13 international partners* to strengthen nutrition efforts across the country by providing technical assistance such as evidence generation, standard-setting, and capacity building, to the programme.Helping to set nutrition standardsThe World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) play a key role in providing technical support and developing guidelines for the programme. As the Secretariat of the Global School Meals Coalition, WFP has supported Indonesia in becoming a member and in strengthening its positioning in regional and global forums. WFP is also exploring, together with the government, the use of AI-driven menu optimization that considers nutrition, sourcing, food availability and pricing. Meanwhile, UNICEF supported the development of a set of national guidelines and standards for the effective implementation of the MBG. UNICEF trains local kitchen teams on optimizing menus and strengthening supply chains, and works to standardize water and sanitation quality assurance in kitchens, ensuring safe and hygienic food preparation.FAO, in the meantime, is conducting an analytical study to assess how current patterns of apparent food consumption align with Indonesia’s Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. Using household data, the study quantifies food group-level consumption gaps at national, provincial and household levels, disaggregated by income, geography and other factors. It also maps regional disparities to identify hotspots of underconsumption. The study will help improve the targeting and composition of MBG, identifying population groups and regions where school meal intervention is likely to have the greatest impact.Optimizing reachThe UN is helping to find the best ways to get nutritious meals to children, no matter where they live. This includes testing and documenting multiple kitchen models, optimizing reach and supply chain efficiencies, and meal distribution methods, especially in remote areas. By supporting hands-on training, capturing lessons learned, and working to standardise quality assurance in kitchens, UNICEF and WFP help communities build a system that works best for them. Nutrition educationEducation is key to making this programme last. By providing comprehensive nutrition education to kitchen staff, teachers, parents, students, and the wider public, UNICEF helps build lifelong healthy habits–—encouraging better food choices, mindful eating and sustainable nutrition practices. UNICEF also partners with universities to bring balanced nutrition awareness to more people, ensuring that knowledge about healthy eating spreads beyond the classroom. When communities understand the value of good nutrition, they become active participants in creating a healthier future.National Centre of ExcellenceIn February, Bappenas, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), IPB University and UNICEF launched the National Centre of Excellence for the MBG. The Centre focuses on teaching and training, research and innovation, knowledge management and policy development to support BGN in formulating policies, regulations and guidelines at both national and regional levels to enhance MBG programme coverage and quality. Additionally, the Centre will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating programme implementation to ensure its effectiveness.Local farmers, local ingredientsThe International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and FAO, in partnership with local communities, are connecting local producers and commodities with markets and building the capacity of rural communities to produce and process nutritious food for households, including through homestead gardening as well as cooking classes and shared breakfasts at elementary schools. UNICEF is supporting local authorities in Papua to provide nutritious and cost-efficient school meals, for Early Childhood Development and primary school students, using locally-sourced food and integrated essential nutrition services. WFP is supporting the linkages of smallholder farmers and other value chain actors, to MBG kitchens.Food Waste ManagementFAO is supporting the Government in the study of the circular economy concept for food waste management in the MBG programme, in line with the Roadmap and National Action Plan for Circular Economy. This study will formulate strategies for reducing and handling food waste from the MBG Programme by considering the principles of a circular economy.Fortified foodsTo alleviate micronutrient deficiencies, food fortification is a key part of the programme. With technical support from the UN, MBG uses fortified salt, wheat flour and cooking oil – all enriched with vitamins and minerals. WFP is supporting the government to integrate fortified rice in the national programme, including support to draft standards for fortified rice, a key pre-requisite for institutionalization. Through the Center of excellence, UNICEF is supporting a modelling of an integrated package of interventions including food system transformation to support the local economy.9. Optimize targeting and resource allocationUN Global Pulse developed a cutting-edge Decision Support System (DSS) for the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) to optimize the MBG programme implementation planning. By integrating official and non-conventional data sources, the DSS ensures precise targeting, efficient resource allocation, and effective programme implementation. — — — — — — — — — — —  Note:*DUNCNN members consist of 13 donors and UN agencies:United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (Lead)World Bank (Co-Lead)World Health Organization (WHO)Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)World Food Programme (WFP)Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) – Australia.United States Agency for International Development (USAID)Global Affairs CanadaInternational Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)Tanoto FoundationJapan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)Asian Development Bank (ADB) 

The Southeast Asian country has already raised close to $12 billion in thematic bonds, including blue bonds and Islamic investment instruments over the last seven years.These efforts have been supported by development partners, including the United Nations.Putut Hari Satyaka, is the Deputy Minister for Development Financing and Investment at Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas). He spoke to UN News ahead of a key UN conference on financing for development which begins in Sevilla on 30 June.UN News: How much money is needed in Indonesia to achieve the SDGs and what is your estimated funding gap?Putut Hari Satyaka: The existence of an SDG financing gap remains a significant challenge, especially to developing countries. Indonesia is no exception. The financing gap to fully achieve all 17 goals and their targets remains significant. With an estimated $4.2 trillion needed for Indonesia to achieve the SDGs, there is a $1.7 trillion financing gap that is yet to be resolved.UN News: How can that gap be closed?Putut Hari Satyaka:  We need an integrated and transformative approach, going beyond “business as usual”. For us, this means two things.Firstly, we must enhance the use of public finances to be more efficient, resilient and transparent. This includes improving budgetary alignment with SDG targets, strengthening expenditure efficiency, and ensuring that resources are effectively prioritized and utilized for sectors generating spill-over transformative effects to sustainable development.Secondly, we must be creative and innovative – meaning that we need to scale up the existing innovative financing methods and explore new ones. Some of the most prominent instruments and approaches are blended finance, thematic bonds and faith-based financing.Indonesia has been making great progress in this regard. We have created an ecosystem of a wide range of innovative instruments, attracting a diverse range of stakeholders and entities, supporting necessary regulations, and developing the enabling environment to nurture the market.UN News:  What is faith-based financing and what has been Indonesia’s experience so far?Putut Hari Satyaka:  Faith-based financing, especially within the Indonesian context, refers to financial practices grounded in religious principles, most notably, in the principles of Sharia law in Islam.As Indonesia has 241.5 million Muslims, 85 per cent of the population, and faith-based social financing like zakat and waqf have been a long-standing practice, deeply rooted in our society.What is new is the allocation of these instruments towards the SDGs. Indonesia has made strong progress in advancing Sharia finance as part of its inclusive growth agenda.Sharia financing is now growing by 14 per cent a year, outpacing conventional finance. We are also championing scaling-up, green sukuk, which is a Sharia-compliant bond specifically issued to finance environmentally friendly projects.This reflects Indonesia’s strong commitment to building a competitive financial ecosystem for faith-based instruments, and we will continue to strengthen collaboration, drive innovation, and ensure that faith-based financing plays a central role in our economic development.UN News: Are you able to raise new funding through these faith-based instruments? Critics sometimes say this is just another way to reach the same funds you could get otherwise.Putut Hari Satyaka: Yes, we are. With the world’s largest Muslim population, there is a massive potential in channeling faith-based financing towards the SDGs.In 2018, Indonesia issued the world’s first sovereign green sukuk, raising $1.25 billion to fund renewable energy and climate adaptation projects.Between 2019 and 2023, the government raised approximately $1.4 billion through domestic retail green sukuk, engaging individual investors in climate financing. This demonstrates the strong potential of green sukuk, both domestically and internationally.We also see great potential in Islamic Social Financing. Indonesia’s zakat potential is estimated at between $18 billion and $25 billion per year. The actual collection remains below 5 per cent of that potential, so there is clearly a vast opportunity to strengthen social finance.UN News: What lessons have you learned over the years and what advice do you have for national or subnational governments interested in faith-based financing?Putut Hari Satyaka: Although we have made great progress in faith-based financing, we have much room for enhancement, improvement and even exploration. Here are a few potential lessons:First and foremost, awareness raising is key. As many view faith-based financing also as community-based financing, society’s participation in these instruments starts with their understanding of their importance and the way the money will be used.Secondly, we see that the close coordination and concerted actions of relevant stakeholders are crucial. Overlaps are unavoidable without proper coordination. It is coordination – including with subnational governments, where we see room for improvement in order to scale-up faith-based financing in Indonesia.Finally, building trust takes time. Faith-based financing relies heavily on public confidence, both in the institutions managing the funds and in how the funds are used.Just like many other financing instruments, we have learned that transparency, accountability and consistent communication are essential to earn and maintain that trust. 

The private sector has a pivotal role to play in accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the UN’s main platform for engaging businesses, the UN Global Compact is catalyzing this by bringing together thousands of companies around shared priorities. A new collaboration launched last month —bringing together private sector actors from China and Indonesia— demonstrates how this approach can drive large-scale impact.The Sino-Indonesia Corporate Community Action Network, launched in May at the Inaugural Global Business Summit on Belt and Road Infrastructure Investment for Better Business, Better World and SDGs, hosted by the Government of Indonesia, brought together business leaders, policymakers and UN representatives to explore how infrastructure investments can support inclusive, green and sustainable growth. It seeks to leverage cross-border and cross-sector partnerships to deepen cooperation in sustainable infrastructure, green energy transition, and the empowerment of small- and medium-sized enterprises between businesses from China and Indonesia.  Putting Business at the Heart of DevelopmentIndonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) estimates that achieving the SDGs in the country by 2030 requires a total investment of US$ 8.7 trillion. With one fifth of this still to be identified, boosting private sector investment is critical to achieving Indonesia’s development ambitions and accelerating towards its ambitious 8% economic growth target. Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry Todotua Pasaribu said the government “was targeting around US$ 815 billion in high-quality direct investment, or approximately 15.7% above the current average growth over the coming five years.”In support of this objective, the United Nations in Indonesia works closely with the Indonesia Global Compact Network (IGCN), to mobilize investments for national development priorities. With 154 members representing US$ 266 billion in annual revenues and over half a million workers, the local chapter of Global Compact operates at a scale that can “move the dial on development priorities”, said Gita Sabharwal, the UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, with IGCN member companies increasingly integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into their core operations and board-level discussions. From China to Indonesia and BeyondChina’s corporate sector has also been rapidly incorporating ESG principles into business models, with over 1,000 Chinese entities now members of Global Compact. With China’s dual carbon goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060, corporations are integrating measures to become greener and more sustainable. These efforts are reflected domestically and increasingly also through China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Global Development Initiative. This has led to an expansion of investments into areas such as green infrastructure and renewable energy, while also promoting environmentally responsible investment across projects. Through the Sino-Indonesia Corporate Community Action Network, the UN is helping to ensure investments are sustainable, demand driven and promote SDG progress. Indonesia is already seeing a growing focus on green investment, which the Network was able to showcase and build on. For example, “Huayou will increase investment in Indonesia’s with new energy industry partners… creating over 100,000 jobs with a workforce localization rate exceeding 90%,” said Chen Xuehua, Chairman of Huayou Cobalt.The UN Global Compact stands ready to support the initiative, Sanda Ojiambo, CEO & Executive Director said in her video message. “Sustainable infrastructure is no longer optional; it is a strategic imperative for long-term growth and resilience,” Ojiambo said. A declaration issued at the event detailed a shared commitment to align projects with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. These principles cover human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-corruption—and offer businesses a clear framework for embedding sustainability into their core operations.“The UN sees the Sino-Indonesia Corporate Community Action Network as a vital platform to connect ideas with action, and ambition with implementation,” said Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN Resident Coordinator in China. “The Sino-Indonesia relationship is just the beginning, which we hope to expand to the rest of Southeast Asia for higher order results.” This story is based on the article "Better Business Beyond Borders: China and Indonesia Join Forces for Sustainable Development" published on the UN's UNSDG site https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/better-business-beyond-borders-china-and-indonesia-join-forces-sustainable 

With support from the United Nations, the electricity grid on the central islands of Java, Madura, and Bali – home to over 160 million people – is now being upgraded and modernized to accommodate fluctuating energy loads from solar and wind power.“As a result of our cooperation with the UN, we now have a blueprint for a smart grid and are working to enable it to seamlessly integrate electricity from renewables in line with national priorities,” said Evy Haryadi, Director of Transmission and System Planning at state-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). “This will represent a huge step forward in decarbonizing Indonesia’s energy system.”As emphasized during a recent visit to Jakarta by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Climate Action and Just Transition, Selwin Hart, the smart grid initiative—supported by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)—is an integral part of the broader UN assistance in Indonesia to ensure a just energy transition. This includes work by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to bring renewable energy to remote islands not connected to the national grid, and by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to support the government in developing green skills.“The UN in Indonesia works in close partnership with the government to support its energy transition targets in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Gita Sabharwal, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Indonesia. “We provide fast response solutions and technical expertise to help accelerate progress toward government objectives in green energy.”The country’s 2025–2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan, launched in May, outlines a strategic shift toward a cleaner and investment-driven energy future. It targets 42.6 GW of new renewable power capacity and 10.3 GW of storage, while limiting new fossil fuel capacity to 16.6 GW. The plan is designed to align Indonesia’s climate commitments with the SDGs and enhance national energy resilience.The smart grid and, at its core, the control centre that manages electricity supply and demand, are crucial to this effort. The country expects a surge in renewable generation construction once the modernization of the JAMALI Control Center is completed.Historically, power grids were designed to receive electricity from sources with relatively constant output—such as coal, natural gas, or hydropower. However, some renewable sources function differently: solar plants generate electricity only when the sun is shining, and wind power only when the wind is blowing. In a so-called “smart grid,” the control centre must be able to adjust electricity intake from renewables and balance it with stable sources like coal, based on real-time weather conditions and consumption patterns. It will also utilize large-scale batteries to store excess electricity—for example, solar energy generated during particularly sunny periods.Established in the early 1980s, the JAMALI grid control center covers 79% of Indonesia’s generation capacity. The smart grid system design, delivered by UNOPS, enables the control centre to incorporate renewable energy forecasting capabilities and grid analysis tools to support stability and security, among other advanced features.The detailed engineering design for the JAMALI Main Control Center includes plans to consolidate five regional control centres into two to improve efficiency while maintaining redundancy. UNOPS also completed the tendering process and vendor selection for the design's implementation and is building the capacity of PLN staff involved in control centre operations to manage the new technology effectively. From design to implementationConstruction workers and engineers are now hard at work at PLN’s campus in Depok, just outside Jakarta, implementing the design provided by UNOPS. Completion of the control centre is expected by the end of 2025. During this phase, UNOPS is responsible for monitoring the selected vendors who are constructing, installing, configuring, and ultimately commissioning the new centre. “UNOPS has the project management expertise and know-how to continue supporting us and ensure the seamless and timely delivery of the project, in line with the original specifications,” said PLN’s Mr. Haryadi. “At the same time, we are building our internal capacity to eventually take over the task.”The work is progressing on schedule. The new buildings are largely completed, and installation of the industrial monitoring system—central to the control centre’s operation—is about 40 per cent complete. Based on the success of the initiative, discussions are underway to replicate the design for the four control centres that manage electricity supply on other islands across the country.UNOPS supports this modernization under the Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP), which provides technical expertise to partner countries in the region to help their national energy commitments in line with Paris Agreement and the SDGs. ETP is a multi-donor partnership, supported by the governments of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and philanthropic donors.  ETP operates in Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam, as well as at the ASEAN regional level, and works collaboratively to mobilize and coordinate resources to facilitate a just energy transition in the region.“The control centre upgrade promises to be a game-changer for Indonesia’s energy mix,” Ms Sabharwal said. “Our support is an impactful example of the UN’s assistance in middle-income countries: working behind the scenes and providing core technical expertise, we support the government’s priority of energy security by fast-tracking the green transformation.” This article was first published on the UN News website, ‘Smart grid’ helps accelerate energy transition in Indonesia, https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164576