Statement by
Mrs. Lucia Helwinda Rustam
The Representative of Indonesia
Before the Plenary of the 58th Session of
the U.N. General Assembly
On Agenda Item 41:
"Follow-up to the United Nations Special Session on Children"

New York, 21 October 2003

Mr. President,

On behalf of my delegation I would like, first of all, to extend our appreciation to you for your resolute efforts to ensure the successful work of this august body. I would also like to commend the UN Secretary-General for his report on "Follow-up to the United Nations special session on children." Before I speak further, my delegation wishes to associate itself with the distinguished delegate of Morocco who spoke on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

It was a year ago that world leaders and Heads of States, NGOs, children's advocates and young people themselves gathered here, on the occasion of the 28th Special Session of the UN General Assembly, to decide the future of the children and adolescents of the world. The outcome of that special session, “A World Fit for Children," is an essential document which outlines goals, strategies and actions towards the creation of a world livable for children.

In order to ensure the realization of such a world, one that is fit for children, it is very pertinent that we reaffirm our commitments to the implementation of the outcome of the special session. After a year or so, it is also relevant that we use this opportunity to share our experiences in the implementation of the outcome document.

Mr. President,

The World Fit for Children Declaration and Plan of Action form the basis for the Indonesian Government to advance national development planning for children and child rights-based programmes. The Government is currently finalizing the National Programme for Children in Indonesia 2015 (Program Nasional Bagi Anak Indonesia 2015, PNBAI). This Programme addresses the key issues of child health and nutrition, children and HIV, early childhood care and development and basic nine-year education, and child protection.

As far as child health is concerned, the Indonesian Government has introduced specific policies focusing on the promotion of community nutrition education, family nutrition improvement, food fortification, and implementation of food and nutrition surveillance systems. The Government has also set out vision Healthy Indonesia 2010 (Indonesia Sehat 2010) using a life cycle approach to address specific health and nutrition issues.

As a child is closely linked to his or her mother, ensuring the health of mothers and reducing maternal mortality are essential. The Government has initiated various programmes and initiatives for this purpose, including the National Safe Motherhood Programme, and the Making Pregnancy Safer Strategy since 2001.

Mr. President,

Despite the fact that HIV / AIDS cases among children remain low, the Indonesian Government has taken proactive measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic, especially among children through, for example, mother- child-transmission. The Government's commitment to combat the disease is reflected in the new National Strategy to Combat HIV / AIDS 2003 - 2007.
We believe that quality care and development in a child's first years of life are essential to the rest of the child's life. First years make up the formative period when children undergo great leaps in physical, social, intellectual and emotional development.

In the current National Development Plan, the Government is looking into the possibility of cooperating with local educational institutions to provide training for teachers and facilitators of early childhood education. We also promote social marketing of early childhood care and development to parents in order to sensitize them to the idea of structured early stimulation programmes.

As regards providing children with education, we focus on enhancing access to and improving the quality of education. At this stage Indonesia has already achieved 95 percent net enrolment of children age 7 - 12 years old in primary schools. We continue our efforts to achieve nine years of quality basic education for all children.

We also pay particular attention to the issues of child labour, child trafficking and sexually exploited children, and the emerging issue of children's involvement in the use, production, and distribution of illicit drugs. We recognize these problems and continue our efforts to strengthen coordination and collaboration among the relevant institutions, also through the involvement of civil society, to address the problems.

The Government of Indonesia is currently working to increase understanding of child-protection issues through developing a profile of Indonesian children, which draws from available statistics and academic research. Mapping, rapid assessments and other studies are being carried out by institutions with the assistance of a number of donor agencies.

Indonesia also continues to emphasize the importance of international cooperation in addressing issues concerning the promotion of the well-being of children and the protection of their rights. International cooperation is essential particularly to the strengthening of national capacity-building in order to implement the outcome document of the special session on children effectively.

Mr. President,

Before I conclude, let me add a few words regarding the Bali Consensus- the outcome of the sixth East Asian and the Pacific Ministerial Consultation on Children-that was cited in the Secretary-General report.

The Bali Consensus contains commitments on building partnerships with and for children and young people. The document lists focus areas for regional cooperation, recommends effective partnerships, and identifies goals and principles of action. The Consensus emphasizes partnerships as an integral part of realizing the Millennium Development Goals and the 2002 World Fit for Children Plan of Action. And the Consensus argues that we should involve all sectors of society in our partnerships, including children and young people; families; governments; parliamentarians; NGOs; community-based organizations; the private sector; civil society; religious, spiritual, cultural, indigenous, and traditional leaders; mass media; regional and international organizations; and, donor partners.

As we work to improve the life of children in the East Asian and Pacific region, the Consensus has identified four focus areas for cooperation. These include: HIV / AIDS; trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children; maternal and neonatal mortality; and child malnutrition. The first two issues are new and complicated challenges to countries in the region. The last two issues, on the other hand, are relatively old, and tend to be intractable.

As we fulfill our policy commitments to children in our region, we agreed that all policies and actions that affect children and young people are guided by the spirit and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We also agreed to ensure peace and stability and reduce poverty, in order to guarantee the fulfillment of the rights of all children and young people; improve the quality, accessibility, and equity of education in order to achieve our goals; and, promote the active and meaningful participation and empowerment of women, children, and young people in all activities that affect their lives, including involvement in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and in the implementation of “A World Fit for Children."

It is our hope that the international community and the UN maintain their support for our regional efforts as we strive to create a world fit for generations to come.

I thank you, Mr. President.