Statement by
The Indonesian Delegation
before the Forty-Eight Session of
theCommission on the Status of Women

New York , 3 March 2004

Madam Chairperson,

At the outset, allow me on behalf of the Indonesian delegation, to congratulate you on your assumption as the Chair of the Commission and I would like you to rest assured that you have the full cooperation of our delegation. Our congratulations also go to the members of the Bureau.

Let me thank the panelists for their brief presentations, particularly on the two themes before us. They certainly have enriched our deliberations today. At the same time, I would like to associate my delegation with the statement of the distinguished representative of Qatar on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Madam Chairperson,

Indonesia attaches great importance to the two priority themes of this session because they go to the heart of a human-centered approach to development. With this approach in mind, Indonesia has implemented measures to change the quality of life enjoyed by its entire population.

Though noteworthy progress has taken place in Indonesia, the challenge to change continues to come from the attitudes and behaviour of men and boys who have been socialized to accept the notion of male superiority. Until and unless these attitudes and patterns of behaviour are modified positively, the gender equality can not be achieved. To do this, men and boys must be mobilized to take an active role in bringing about changes that are deemed socially desirable.

The transformation of attitudes must be accomplished on all fronts - economic, social and political therefore Indonesia believes that school curriculums should be adjusted accordingly. They should encompass wholesome ideas and values that stress equality of the sexes and the importance of female social and economic contributions to the development of the society.

In this respect there can be no denying that any society which channels the attention and energies of female into those areas of study and practice that equip them to function only as caregivers deprives itself unintentionally of valuable diversified expertise that can be applied to nation-building. Women's horizon must therefore be expanded and not unnecessarily restricted, especially by unfavourable attitudes and patterns of behaviour.

In addition to working to change the thinking and behaviour of males, the Indonesian Government will continue to implement legislation to eliminate discrimination against women. Law no. 12/2003 on General Election does just that. It urges political parties to consider presenting slates with about 30% of the candidates nominated for national, provincial and local representative councils being women. Another example of change can be found in the "Alert Husband Campaign" initiated in 1996 to make husbands more sensitive to the reproductive health of their wives.

Turning to the second theme on women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post- conflict peace-building, Indonesia shares the view of the Secretary- General that women, as the main victims of conflict situations, are under-represented in peace processes and post-conflict peace building. In making women stakeholders in these processes enhances the guarantee that the peace will in fact be respected and preserved in the future.

Since the issue of women affected by conflict forms part of the violence against women, the Government of Indonesia has carried out necessary measures in accordance with provisions contained in the Convention of Elimination All Forms of Discrimination against Women to address this issue. On 24 November 1999, the Indonesian Government and a number of civil society organizations signed a joint declaration containing a number of commitments to eliminate violence against women through the implementation of a Zero Tolerance Policy. In addition, to follow up the declaration, a memorandum of understanding was signed by relevant Ministries which made possible several gender-sensitive programmes, such as women's desks in police stations, offices for women's affairs at the provincial level and hospital-based one-stop crisis centers.

In a similar vein, the Ministry of Women Empowerment, collaborating with concerned NGOs and academicians, launched the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 2001-2005. This Plan prioritizes seven main sectors: namely, the state and military; social legislation; health; socio-cultural activities; employment; education; and the media. The event was a timely response to the outbreak of communal conflict in several regions in which Indonesian women and children were the main victims. Indonesia has also had to deal with an internal refugee situation in regions affected by conflicts. Reacting to the challenge of this situation, the Ministry of Women Empowerment has established, in conjunction with local governments, a number of trauma, crisis and women centers, concentrating on health services for refugees.

Made highly vulnerable by these conflicts, women have become exposed to the danger of human trafficking, both internally and across national borders. Being aware of this inhumane practice, the Indonesian Government issued a Presidential Decree on the matter, reinforcing it with the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Trafficking of Women and Children, 2002. The Plan makes possible concerted efforts by local governments, police and immigration officers, NGOs and other relevant authorities to combat human trafficking.

In conclusion, Indonesia wishes to renew its commitment to the implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action and the outcome document of the Beijing + 5 and hopes that the Commission will continue to press vigorously for the fulfillment of its noble mandate.

As I close, I would like to thank the Assistant Secretary-General, Ms Angela King, of the Office of the Special adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, for her invaluable contributions to the work of the United Nations in the field of gender.

Thank you.