Bali hosts family planning conference

JAKARTA (JP): The National Family Planning Board (BKKBN) will hold a one-week conference to evaluate the outcome of an Indonesia-sponsored international training program on family planning.

The board's official, Santoso, said on Friday the conference would take place in Bali's capital of Denpasar from Nov. 14 to Nov. 18 and would be attended by 25 participants from 12 Asian countries plus a lecturer from John Hopkins University in United States.

Indonesia, regarded as one of the most successful countries in developing family planning programs, launched the international training program 12 years ago.

Since the program's inception, Indonesia has trained 3,633 family planning workers from 90 countries and sent 39 consultants abroad to share with their counterparts the Indonesian experience in family planning.

Due in part to the program, some countries in Asia, like Bangladesh, Thailand and the Philippines, managed to follow in Indonesia's footsteps by reducing their population growth rate.

Santoso said that during the conference BKKBN hopes to hear either the successes or failures of participants in family planning programs in their respective countries.

"We hope to boost the information exchange among Asian countries in order to improve the family planning program," he said.

Participants of the conference will have an opportunity to observe how family planning works at Gianyar, near Denpasar.

Bali is the most successful province in controlling the birthrate in the country. (04)