10 July 2008,
JAKARTA, Indonesia:
The House of Representative Speaker and population experts
raised the urgency to tackle population issue in Indonesia
and the importance of expanding Family Planning programme
for successful development efforts.
Indonesia is a country with the world’s fourth largest
population after China, India and the US. It’s possible
that Indonesia would rank second or third if we neglect population
issue. Population issue and development are closely linked
and requires comprehensive and inter-sectoral approaches,”
explained the House of Representative speaker HR. Agung Laksono.
He voiced his remarks at the opening of a seminar, organized
by the Indonesia Forum of Parliamentarians for Population
and Development
(IFPPD) and supported by the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA). The seminar is one of a series of
activities held to commemorate the World Population Day with
this year’s theme is ”The Right to Family Planning”.
Since it was first la unched in 1970s, the
national family planning programme in Indonesia had brought
down the fertility rat e from then 5.6 children per woman
to 2.6 children per woman in 2007. For its success Indonesia
was awarded with the UNFPA Population Award in July 1989.
However, the programme has weakened following the 2001 decentralization
because family planning and population issues are not considered
as development priorities in most of Indonesia’s 400
districts. Apart from that, the National Family Planning Coordinating
Board (BKKBN) as the lead institution also had a diminishing
presence in about 75% of its district offices that are merged
together with other government non population related offices.
Its family planning field workers have dropped from 55,000
to 25,000 people. These changes have posed challenges in programme
coordination and implementation. It has adversely affected
comunity awareness and participation in FP. In the past 5
years, the fertility rate has stalled at 2.6 children and
contraceptive use only increased to 61.4%.
A speaker from the Padjajaran University, Prof. DR. Sutyastie
Soemitro said a country with large population size, like Indonesia,
would experience huge economic, social, political and environmental
consequences. To ease this, Indonesia needs to focus on lowering
births and population distribution to villages.
Family planning programme, explained a social and economic
observer Dr. Sri Pamoedjo Rahardjo can help both men and women
maintain their reproductive health and stabilize the growth
of Indonesia’s large population. “Commitment to
FP and coordination at all level should be strengthened. The
involvement of private sectors and NGOs should be expanded,”
he said.
We can prevent baby boom if we can ensure that the
preference for small family is still widely adopted, the number
of population who enjoy formal education increase, more women
join the formal sector and more people delay their first marriage
at an older age,” added Prof. Dr. Muhadjir Darwin from
the Gadjah Mada University.
A sociologist from the University of Indonesia
DR. Imam Prasodjo said population is a long-term investment
and the success of population programme can only be seen in
a 15-20 year time. ”Since this is an important issue,
BKKBN needs greater authority, equal to ministrial level or
directly under the president,” he said.
FP is an intervention with many benefits, - that include improving
women’s health, promoting children’s wellbeing
and fostering responsible behavior. In addition, by enabling
couples to have fewer children, FP allows women to have bigger
opportunity to pursue an education, a carreer or join economic
empowerments and other social, political activities. This
in turn, fosters gender equality, breaks poverty cycle and
slow population growth that also eases pressures on the environment.
When coupled with skilled assistance at births can significantly
reduce maternal deaths which is the Goal 5 of the Millenium
Development Goal set for 2015.
But many Indonesians, especially the poor, have not yet exercised
their right. Every year, there are around 4.5 million childbirths
with 20,000 maternal deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Of the total births in the country, 7.2% is unintended. And
a 2000 study said there are 2 million estimated annual abortions
in Indonesia, of which around 25% is unsafe abortion by traditional
birth attendants. It is said that about 27% of people seeking
an abortion are single and 73% are married.
This is a serious health issue and the reason why commitment
to Family Planning should not be delayed. FP is a human right
and turning the right of individuals to reality benefits the
individuals themselves, their families and national development.
It takes political commitment, conducive policies, consistent
funding and concrete action to see this happens,” said
UNFPA Representative Dr. Zahidul Huque.
Legislators from The House’s Commission IX for Population,
Health, Man Power and Transmigration are continuously working
to increase budget allocation for BKKBN, said IFPPD Deputy
Chairperson Mr. Hakim Sorimuda Pohan. The budget for BKKBN
in 2008 is Rp 1.1 trillion ($122.2 million), a slight increase
from RP 779.8 billion ($86.6 million). But the FP institution
needs about Rp 4 trillion ($444 million) for reliable FP services
nationwide.
UNFPA, Dr. Huque added, will continue to support the Government
of Indonesia and BKKBN to increase the commitments of government,
both at the central and sub-national levels, in order to (1)
ensure availability of funds for RH commodities, aiming to
meet the need of contraceptives for the poor; (2) assist with
the Reproductive Health Commodity Security
Strategy, including enhancing forecasting skills at sub-national
levels to ensure that the poor have access to the contraceptives.
For further information please contact:
Maria Endah Hulupi
UNFPA Communications Officer: 0812 1115 116
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