Despite skepticism over Indonesia’s ability to achieve several targets, delegates to this week’s millennium development goals (MDGs) summit in New York are upbeat the country is on the right track.
Nila Moeloek, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s special envoy for MDGs, said over the weekend that Indonesia still lagged behind in three areas: reducing the maternal mortality rate, HIV/AIDS control and improving access to clean water.
The summit will be hosted by the United Nations from Sept. 20 to 22.
Although Nila acknowledged it would be impossible to achieve 100 percent success, she expressed optimism that the government’s development plans would work well.
“The government’s long term plan is already pro-poor, pro-jobs and pro-environment.”
Indroyono Soesilo, the secretary- general for the Coordinating Public Welfare Minister’s Office, said that he was overall optimistic about the prospect of Indonesia’s MDG effort.
“[We’re] confident, except in the [area of] maternal mortality, we are still far behind on that,” he said.
Indonesia is aiming to reduce its 1990 maternal mortality rate by three-quarters by the 2015 deadline.
According to data from the ministry, the 1990 rate stood at around 390, which means the country should reach the rate of around 100 by the deadline. However, in 2007 the rate still stood at 228 deaths out of 100,000 live births.
One of the key factors in reducing the rate is births assisted by health workers. According to data from
the Health Ministry, the rate of assistance had increased from 38.5 percent in 1992 to 73.4 percent in 2007.
The National Development Planning Agency’s (Bappenas) Nina Sardjunani, who will also attend the summit, said the percentage had increased to 80 percent adding that “there are more positives than negatives.”
Nila added that the three weak aspects of Indonesia’s MDG efforts were interrelated. “Environment is related to disease. However, environment is also be affected by poverty,” she said.
Using the US$1 a day benchmark, Indonesia is not in the “poor category”. However, Nila said the country should not be overly happy with the progress.
Strong support has also come from the House of Representatives, where legislators on Friday renewed their commitment to fighting poverty toward achieving the MDGs by 2015.
The House, which established a working committee on MDGs in March, reaffirmed that eradicating poverty by 2015 would be at the top of the legislative agendas and be “simply non-negotiable” toward accelerating the MDG progress.
Indonesia is one of seven countries with the highest rates of malnutrition along with India, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to recent reports from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Food Program.
“We do have to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition among children under five to 15.5 percent by 2015 and we are currently [at] 17.9 percent. We’re still on track, but it is a big problem indeed,” Nina said.
Nina said Indonesia might even have a few suggestions for the world regarding MDG results.
Suggestions include using innovative financing schemes, which involves public-private partnerships and debt swap programs that will assist efforts in reaching the targets.
“Indonesia is experienced in debt swaps. Such financing mechanisms are what we are trying to remind developed countries of,” Nina said.
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