Investment in young people is critical for the present and future prosperity of Indonesia. Indonesia’s 65 million young people aged 10 to 24 comprise 28% of the population. The right policies, strategic investments, and equity-based approaches that address youth needs, diversities and disparities will enable young people to claim their rights and fullfill their potential to advance socio-economic growth, thereby harnessing a demographic dividend and bringing significant returns for social and economic development.
UNFPA Indonesia supports the Government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and young people networks in the development and implementation of national policies and programmes that secure the development and human rights of young people.
UNFPA is supporting the development, implementation and monitoring of national action plans on youth development on school-aged child and adolescent health.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognizes the importance of addressing the rights and needs of young people, as a process for reaping a demographic dividend. Realizing the demographic dividend requires multiple intersecting investments, which will build the capabilities of people and ensure their right to achieve their potential.
UNFPA Indonesia will provide policy advice and strategic technical advice to the Government of Indonesia in supporting its efforts in fulfilling the rights and needs of youth and adolescents and to support the government in reaping a demographic bonus.
UNFPA Indonesia will support the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in developing an integrated and comprehensive national action plan on youth development, that capitalizes on the demographic dividend, and in developing a Youth Development Index (YDI) within the Indonesian context.
UNFPA Indonesia will provide policy advice to the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the development of a focused National Action Plan on School Aged Child and Adolescent Health 2017 – 2020, to address specific health needs of young people. UNFPA will also support the MOH in strengthening evidence-based advocacy to the Ministry of Education and Culture on the importance of the provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Education in the national curriculum.
In collaboration with the MOH, SRH and youth involvement in humanitarian settings will be addressed through development and implementation of national guidelines on SRH and Youth Involvement in Humanitarian Settings for service providers. Involvement of youth organizations and networks in Indonesia will be critical.
To succeed in achieving the SDGs, government is seeking active and substantive engagement in national-level planning, implementation, and monitoring (of young people from diverse backgrounds).
UNALA – Private Sector Led – Health Services for Young People
In Indonesia, 1.7 million young women under the age of 24 years give birth annually; nearly 0.5 million comprise teenage girls. Adolescent age specific fertility rate increased from 39.2 births in 2007 to 48 births per 1000 women of reproductive age in 2012 (Indonesian Demographic Health Survey-IDHS, 2012). Approximately 30% of maternal mortality is estimated to be due to unintended pregnancy among unmarried young people. Nearly 40 % of new confirmed Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases are between the ages of 20 and 29. This means they were likely infected with Human Immunodeficiencyh Virus (HIV) between ages of 15 and 24.
To comprehensively address SRH for young people, UNFPA is supporting an innovative private sector–led social franchising model, called UNALA, for youth-friendly SRH information and services.
Action is needed to empower young people with the SRH information and services they need to make safe and informed choices that will affect their lives. In response to this, UNFPA Indonesia has recognized the important role that the private sector could play in the provision of SRH services to youth, including those who are unmarried. Furthermore, engaging the private sector and young people will support Government efforts to fill existing gaps in Youth and Adolescent SRH programmes by bringing in resources and innovative ideas for effective interventions.
In 2014 UNFPA initiated UNALA as an innovative model that engages the private sector in the delivery of health information and services for young people in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. UNALA established a network of private general practitioners working closely with youth networks to provide a comprehensive package of appropriate, high-quality and youth-friendly SRH services for young people, which includes counselling, physical examination, as well as specialist and laboratory referrals. Young people have been reached through multiple routes (including through UNALA’s website -www.unala.net, social media assets and community outreach activities) in an integrated way to ensure that they are aware of SRH (including family planning and pregnancy) and other health issues.
The name ‘UNALA’ comes from Sanskrit, and means ‘your ability to make decisions’. The name reflects our aim to empower youth. Yogyakarta was chosen as the site of the pilot project, since it is a province with a large proportion of young people, with many universities and a mix of rural and urban youth. It also has a vibrant private sector. If this model is successful it can be replicated nationwide, which means it has potential to transform SRH information and services for youth in Indonesia.
