Bali hosts family planning conference

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)