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22 June 2009,
Jakarta, Indonesia: As the world’s 4th most populous
country, Indonesia attaches high attention to population issues
with focuses on reviving family planning programme, closing
gaps for healthcare, education, nutrition, and empowering
women, youth and elderly population. However commitment of
the newly elected legislators and the future president to
population and family planning policies, programmes and budget
would determine the country’s course of development
in the next 5 years and the welfare of Indonesians.
The next 5-year Mid Term National Development Plan, starting
in 2010 focuses on increasing the per capita income, reducing
poverty and population growth, increasing health and nutrition
status and gender equality. The government also aims to accelerate
development of potential resources outside Java.
The draft plan was discussed in a seminar
organized by the Demographic Institute of University of Indonesia
with participation of experts and representatives of government
and Civic Society Organizations.
The draft Mid-Term plan calls for gender equality, slow population
growth, healthy population age-structure and distribution
and improvement of health status. The plan promotes small
family norm and increased age at marriage for women. Continued
reduction of infant and maternal deaths is emphasized in the
plan.
Achieving these plans also depend on population and gender
awareness among the newly elected legislators, decision makers
and political leaders. Their commitments are needed for programme
and budget allocations to stimulate activities and public
awareness at the district and village level.
There has been public pessimism over the capacity of the newly
elected members of the House of Representatives for the period
of 2009-2014 with 70% of them being new faces. These lawmakers
need orientation in matters of population and family planning.
Population experts and activists would have to strengthen
their advocacy activities to influence policies, said Nina
Sardjunani, Deputy Minister of Bappenas. Indonesians will
go to the poll to vote for the next President on 8 July.
With a population of 227 million, Indonesia ranks 107 of 177
countries in Human Development Index and ranks 7 among ASEAN’s
10 countries. Maternal mortality dropped from 307 to 228/100,000
live births, but the rate is still high as compared with other
ASEAN countries. Majority of Indonesian women work in low
paying jobs and those in agriculture and non-agriculture sector
earn on average about 2/3rd of the amount earned by their
male counterparts.
Improving human capital requires women’s empowerment
and strong FP programme. Empowering women in various sectors:
education, health, economy and legal aspects will improve
their health and social status. The underlying cause of the
high maternal mortality and morbidity and the low number of
women in formal sectors are due to their powerlessness in
making decisions over their own health or for their own self
development. While strong FP programme is especially important
since the country’s population at reproductive age and
those entering this age group are high. “If left unchecked
population growth can affect the overall development efforts,”
explained Dr. Sugiri Syarief, head of BKKBN. It would be critical
to build on the initial achievement of “demographic
bonus” and invest more in health and education to continue
to benefit from the age-structure of the population.
FP programme is a long-term programme but with many benefits.
Head of the Indonesian Obstetricians and Gynecologists Association
Suryono Santoso explained that Indonesia has now enjoyed the
benefits of successful past FP programme, which was first
introduced in 1968. “There have been substantial reductions
of maternal and infant deaths and these are the impacts of
FP that we enjoy today,” he said.
It’s estimated that successful programme in the 80s
had prevented the births of 80 million people up to the year
2000 and around 100 million people until 2009. This is an
enormous saving from meeting the needs for schooling, nutrition,
and healthcare, among others. If the country’s population
growth remains at 1.28% annually, Indonesia population will
soar to 400 million in 2050. Studies have linked high population
to environmental degradation, clean water shortages, food
insecurity, garbage problems, air pollution and high-density
slum areas.
15 years after the International Conference on Population
and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, the country needs to look
at its achievements, challenges, best practices and future
actions. The landmark conference shifted development focus
from demographic target to comprehensive approach to reproductive
health (RH), including adolescent RH and highlighted it as
human rights. The country has achieved many of the ICPD milestones
but there are still many challenges to overcome, said UNFPA
Representative Dr. Zahidul Huque. In order to achieve the
remaining goals and targets, the country would have to adopt
a major revitalization of its family planning programme in
light of the decentralization. This would involve redefining
the vision and mission of BKKBN, strengthening its capacity
to provide analytical and advocacy work at national and local
levels, building leadership capacity of the newly formed district
FP agencies, clarifying the adolescent reproductive health
sensitivities, ensuring appropriate contraceptive method-mix
focusing on unmet need of FP, and developing innovative programme
approach at local levels.
Poor communities are in general not aware of the fact that
big families have to share their limited resources to all
children, making it more difficult to ensure the wellbeing
and welfare of each child, compared to families with fewer
children. “Reproductive health right goes hand in hand
with upholding the rights of the child, meaning that each
child should enjoy good education, nutrition and quality health
so they can grow up healthy, educated and productive,”
said Sri Moertiningsih Adioetomo of the University of Indonesia’s
Demographic Institute. Coupled with adequate national investment
for services, such awareness among couple and individuals
would cut the intergenerational transfer of poverty.
For further information please contact:
Maria Endah Hulupi
UNFPA Communications Officer: 0812 1115 116
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