Experts discuss poverty eradication

Experts discuss poverty eradication

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Although the Southeast Asian region has
achieved progress, its economic growth has not been accompanied
by an even distribution of income, according to the
representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
to Indonesia.

"Although the ASEAN region has achieved significant progress,
poverty is still part of people's lives," Frits Loebus said
during the opening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) experts meeting on rural development and poverty
eradication here Wednesday night.

All ASEAN members, except Thailand and Singapore, have sent
representatives to the three-day meeting.

Loebus was quoted by Antara as saying that 7 percent of the
world's poor live in the ASEAN region, which ironically is one of
the fastest growing and most dynamic regions in the world.

The uneven distribution of income has prevented these people
from enjoying the fruits of development, he said.

The disparity of development is also seen between cities and
rural areas in the region. "Social progress can not be achieved
if there is still (an economic) gap," he said.

Loebus said the UNDP welcomes the ASEAN governments' good
intention to eradicate poverty. They have even given their
respective poverty eradication programs top priority, he said.

"We support them. UNDP now gives top priority to the poverty
eradication programs of ASEAN member countries," he said, adding
that the elimination of poverty in the ASEAN region will
contribute to the realization of the ASEAN Vision 2020.

Fifty delegates are attending the meeting which discusses
poverty eradication efforts in the region. The meeting concludes
today.

Assistant to the Indonesian State Minister of National
Development Planning, Mubyarto, said the ASEAN Expert Group
Meeting (EGM) was a follow-up of the Inaugural Meeting of ASEAN
Ministers on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication held in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last October.

"It was agreed that a stronger cooperation among ASEAN
countries was needed so that each of the member countries could
eradicate poverty in its own country as soon as possible," said
Mubyarto, who is also chairman of the ASEAN EGM's steering
committee.

An expert group meeting was therefore established to discuss
and define possible programs or projects.

Indonesia has been recognized as one of the countries which
has been successful in its poverty eradication programs, Mubyarto
said. The UNDP award given to Indonesia last September was proof,
he said.

"(Many nations) admitted it and therefore wanted to have a
close look at how Indonesia conducts the program," Mubyarto said.

Among Indonesia's poverty eradication programs is the IDT
program (the president's instruction program for underdeveloped
villages) which the EGM delegates will observe during the
meeting.

"We will visit some villages in Kulonprogo Regency (today) to
observe the grassroots development projects carried out through
the IDT program," he said.

"This is a program which is carried out from the grassroots.
It's a program for empowering people," Mubyarto said, adding that
empowerment is the key to rural development and poverty
eradication.

In Indonesia, the rural development and poverty eradication
programs are carried out under four ministries: the offices of
the State Minister of National Development Planning and State
Minister of Population and the ministries of social services and
home affairs.

Assistant to the State Minister of Population Prijono
Tjiptoherijanto, who also attended the meeting, said his office
had launched a special program for those who could not be helped
through the IDT.

The program, called Kukesra (credit for prosperous family
business), is provided for families which are prasejahtera
(literally "preprosperous" or poor) or sejahtera 1 (one level
above the poverty line).

The credit, which was also given as commitment to Washington's
Micro Credit Summit, applied a very low rate of interest, Prijono
said.

"We have given it to about 10.5 million families and therefore
there are between 1.5 and two million other families to
distribute the credit to," Prijono said. (swa/23)