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Statement
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On behalf of my delegation, I would like first of all to congratulate you on your chairmanship and other members of the Bureau on their election. We would also like to associate ourselves with the statement made by the distinguished delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Indonesia welcomes the Secretary-General’s report A/59/172 entitled, “Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the 24th Special Session of the General Assembly,” which in our view complements and supports the recommendations made by the Commission for Social Development in its 41st Session early this year. Mr. Chairman, We would like to underscore that in order to place people at the center of development, special efforts must be made in this direction. As a result of the adoption of the General Assembly’s resolution 57/270B on integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields, I would like to bring your attention to the thrust of that resolution on the issue of policy coherence and partnerships. These two issues, I believe, have become important organizing principles of today’s development agenda. Within this context, Mr. Chairman, Indonesia would like to support the Secretary-General’s recommendations regarding the coherence of policies in relation to the goals and objectives of social development; coherence and integration of social policies and economic policies; and coherence between national and international cooperation for development policies. This coherence must exist not only in the form of policymaking on social development, but it must also exist in the forms of actual implementation and follow-up activities. As others, Indonesia realizes that the development of our people is the utmost responsibility of each and every government. However, we fear that without international support and cooperation, we shall not successfully overcome the challenges to meet social development objectives. In this connection, I would like to emphasize the implementation of targets contained in MDG 8 on develop global partnership for development, such as the creation of a trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory, addressing the special needs of LDCs, LLDCs and SIDs, the debt problem of developing countries, access to affordable essential drugs and available benefits for new technology and ICT. It is therefore very pertinent for my delegation to urge the international community, including UN system, to create an enabling environment conducive to development. This environment must addressing the concerns of developing countries to allow them to achieve poverty eradication, universal primary education, promote gender equality and the empowerment of woman, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases, encourage sustainable development as well as create employment and achieve social integration. Mr. Chairman, In this regard I must also mention the need to broaden the participation of the private sector in societies so that they operate in a socially responsible and accountable manner at all times. Indonesia therefore welcomes the contributions of the private sector to developing countries not only in the economic and financial fields, but also in the social development field. We further urge the UN system to incorporate the concept of social responsibility and accountability in their respective programs of work. Mr. Chairman, Let me now say a few words regarding specific aspects of social development. Indonesia pays particular attention to youth as an essential element of human resources for national development. Creation of jobs for youth remains a challenge to most developing countries. We believe that youth employment should be made a priority and this should be pursued on the basis of sound youth employment policies within the framework of an employment policy at the macro-economic level. Indonesia welcomes the lead countries’ initiative as stipulated in Annex II of the Secretary-General Report on “Promoting youth employment” (document A/58/229). For its part, Indonesia has commemorated the International Youth Day by launching the Indonesian Youth Employment Network (I-YEN). With the support of the ILO and World Bank, the Network is jointly administered by the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration. As far as the issue of ageing is concerned, Indonesia is committed to the implementation of the 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the 1999 Macao Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific. The issue has been central in the formulation and implementation of national development policies. Government measures that address the issue of older persons include a number of programmatic activities and legislative policies such as the adoption of Law No. 13/1998 on The Welfare of Older Persons. Indonesia stresses the importance of creating an enabling and supportive environment for older persons. Such an environment is essential to the successful implementation of strategies for assisting older persons through strengthening family and society as the primary basis of assistance for older persons; in providing services to older persons through institutionalized, semi-institutionalized, family-based, and community-based structures; and in promoting the participation of both communities and older persons themselves in establishing a more comprehensive and accessible network to address the issues of older persons. As regards the issue of persons with disabilities, Indonesia notes the paradigmatic shift in promoting and protecting their rights, from a charity-based approach to a rights-based one. In the view of the Indonesian Government, this shift requires not only institutional strengthening and capacity-building but also collaboration and cooperation supporting disabled persons with other stakeholders, especially self-help organizations and concerned NGOs. We welcome the establishment of a Working Group by the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities to prepare and present a draft text that will be the basis for negotiation by Member States and Observers at the Ad Hoc Committee. Indonesia believes that the Working Group should work in a transparent and impartial manner and should consider the issues relevant to persons with disabilities in a comprehensive manner that incorporates both a human rights perspective and a social development perspective. With regard to the issue of family, Indonesia attaches great importance to the family as the basic unit of society. In achieving “2015 Quality Family,” the Indonesian Government is promoting family empowerment programs emphasizing family welfare and resilience. Indicators of the achievement of those programs include, inter alia: decreasing the number of families incapable of meeting their basic needs; increasing the number of families having access to information and economic resources; increasing their capacity for the upbringing and nurturing of children; decreasing disharmony and domestic violence within the family; and increasing knowledge and awareness among family members of a quality environment. We welcome the observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Family in 2004 and those measures put into effect at various levels in its preparation. We believe that the occasion should be a pertinent one for member States to reaffirm their commitment to the promotion of the family. In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, Indonesia believes that successful social development is essential to the realization of development in other sectors, such as economic and political developments. As social development has many dimensions, Indonesia is committed to the promotion of coherence in social development policies, taking into account development policies in other sectors. I thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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