Australia pledges A$14m to RI<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Australian government pledged here yesterday
\nto give Indonesia a A$12 million (US$8.4 million) grant to help
\nreduce the high maternal mortality rate and another A$2 million
\nin an assistance program to the National Commission on Human
\nRights.<\/p>\n
Ambassador John McCarthy said the $12 million grant would be
\nspent in three provinces -- Irian Jaya, Maluku and West Java, and
\nthat the fund would be administered by the United Nations
\nChildren's Fund (Unicef) here.<\/p>\n
It would be given over three years by the Australian Agency
\nfor International Aid (AusAID).<\/p>\n
The $2 million human rights assistance program would be spent
\nto help the commission train its staff in human rights principles
\nand law, management, good governance and English language.<\/p>\n
One of the priorities of the assistance program will be the
\nestablishment of a computerized complaints database and
\nstandardized complaints handling procedures.<\/p>\n
\"The project is the culmination of a lot of work and
\nunderlines the fact that Australia is very supportive of the work
\nof the commission,\" McCarthy said.<\/p>\n
It was the commission's organizational weaknesses as well as
\nits lack of appropriately trained staff that led the Australian
\ngovernment to provide the assistance, he said.<\/p>\n
The Memorandum of Understanding for the assistance was signed
\nby McCarthy and the rights commission's secretary-general,
\nBaharuddin Lopa, here yesterday.<\/p>\n
McCarthy, also signed yesterday the memorandum for the $12
\nmillion grant with Unicef Indonesia Representative Stephen
\nWoodhouse and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Haryono
\nSuyono.<\/p>\n
The grant, the largest given to Indonesia after the World Bank
\nand Unicef for health programs that target mothers and children,
\nwould be used by Unicef\/AusAID to improve health care services to
\nwomen in poor villages in the three designated provinces.<\/p>\n
According to Haryono, the selection of the three provinces to
\nreceive the assistance was \"well-targeted\" because the percentage
\nof poor people in each province was high.<\/p>\n
McCarthy said the aid was given to help protect the lives of
\nIndonesian women during pregnancy and in childbirth.<\/p>\n
At present the country's national maternal mortality rate is
\n390 per 100,000 live births, one of the worst in Asia. (aan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/australia-pledges-a14m-to-ri-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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