Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim discussed ways to tackle the problem of stunting or chronic malnutrition in children.

"President Kim, our focus today is to tackle the problem of stunting in children," Jokowi stated while paying a courtesy call on Kim at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

"This issue is very important to me personally and also for you and the public. I hope that a breakthrough is achieved to overcome this problem. We all know what to do but how can it last forever?" he reiterated.

Jokowi suggested several possible ways to tackle the stunting problem through the use of technology and the involvement of the private sector and civil society.

"We live in the 21st century, which is the era of rampant usage of smartphones and social media as well as the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial intelligence. I believe that such current developments can be utilized to build a mechanism for finding solutions to the issue of stunting, as sophisticated technology is already available," he stated.

Moreover, Jokowi and Kim also discussed ways to involve the private sector in national development.

"I am afraid that if we are too dependent on the government, the development process will be very slow. There is no other way than to involve the private sector to make sustainable efforts with initiatives from the community," he emphasized.

In addition to discussing social issues, Jokowi extended his congratulations over the Independence Day of the United States that falls on July 4.

"I would like to convey Happy 4th July to President Kim. We are honored that you celebrate Independence Day of the United States in Jakarta this week," he stated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that a total of 178 million toddlers experienced stunting in the world.

Stunting is a chronic nutritional problem caused by poor nutrient intake for long periods, generally due to poor dietary intake. Stunting takes place in the womb and is only visible when the child is two years of age.

According to UNICEF, stunting is defined as the percentage of children, aged 0 to 59 months, whose height for age ratio is below minus two standard deviations, indicative of moderate and severe stunting, and minus three standard deviations, suggestive of severe stunting, from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards. (ANTARA)