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Family planning center of excellence established in Yogyakarta
The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) and Gadjah Mada Universityâs (UGM) School of Medicine, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a family planning center of excellence
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T
he National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) and Gadjah Mada University's (UGM) School of Medicine, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a family planning center of excellence.
'This is the first family planning training center in Indonesia and it is hoped that the center can support partnership among countries under the South-South cooperation framework,' BKKBN principal secretary Ambar Rahayu said after the MoU signing with the dean of university's School of Medicine, Teguh Aryandono, in Yogyakarta on Saturday.
The training center, located in the School of Medicine compound, involves experts from Dr.Sardjito General Hospital in Yogyakarta. The partnership between the BKKBN and UGM's School of Medicine will last five years, after which there will be an automatic one-year extension for the center to continue operations. This program is part of the eighth cycle of partnerships between the government and the UNFPA for the period of 2011-2015.
'A number of countries in Asia, such as Myanmar, Nepal and Timor Leste, as well as several African countries are interested in taking part in the center's training programs,' said Ambar.
She said the training center could hopefully support the government's efforts to control Indonesia's population growth, which stood at 1.49 percent per year, higher than its initial annual growth target of 1.2 percent. Since the beginning of reform era in 1998, the implementation of Indonesian family planning programs had continued to decline due to changes in the country's political system and impacts of regional autonomy, she went on.
'The paradigm of family planning has changed. It is no longer aimed at merely limiting births but also aims to help protect women from unwanted pregnancies. The program is implemented on a rights-based perspective as well,' said Ambar.
UNFPA Indonesia representative Jose Ferraris said that to become a comprehensive family planning center of excellence, UGM's School of Medicine must improve the quality of its trainers, training material and methodologies, and provide a favorable training environment.
'The center of excellence must continue to innovate so that it has a competitive advantage both at the regional and global level,' said Ferraris. (ebf)(+++)
