Indonesia likely to play active role at global summit
Indonesia likely to play active role at global summit
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will have an opportunity to help shape the course of a global development program at next month's World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, a top official says.
Minister of Social Services Endang Kusuma Inten Soeweno said yesterday that Indonesia supports the main themes of the UN- sponsored summit -- poverty, unemployment and social disintegration.
Inten was speaking at a one-day seminar organized by the UN Information Center yesterday to prepare for the Summit.
More than 130 heads of state are expected to attend the meeting, which will take place at the Bella Center in Copenhagen between March 6-12.
The UN Secretary-General's special representative, Budimir Loncar, commented: "The summit may be considered one of the most significant events since the United Nations was established 50 years ago."
During the summit both governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO) will share and exchange ideas to tackle the critical issues of social development.
President Soeharto himself will head the Indonesian delegation to the meeting and will be accompanied by no less than three cabinet ministers -- Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and Inten Soeweno.
Touching on the goals of the Indonesian delegation, Minister of Population/Chairman of the National Family Planning Board Haryono Suyono, who also attended yesterday's seminar, said the summit must adopt a program that focuses on people and family as its central theme of development.
Indonesia has gained world-wide recognition for its family planning programs and its efforts to curb the number of people living below the poverty line, which, at present, represents less than 15 percent of the total population of 187 million.
Despite the opportunity and capacity to lend its experience to such a major international forum, yesterday's discussion also noted certain clauses in the draft declaration which may pose a threat to the nation's integrity.
Self-determination
A paragraph in the draft declaration stipulates that a framework for action will be created to "reaffirm and promote the universal realization of the right to self-determination of people under colonial or foreign occupation."
A participant at the seminar reacted to this paragraph saying that if adopted it could be used adversely as a basis to demand the separation of the former Portuguese colony of East Timor, which was integrated into Indonesia in 1976.
"The Indonesian delegation tends not to insert it in the declaration," answered Bambang Ismawan, an NGO activist and member of the Indonesian delegation to Copenhagen.
Indonesia is expected to try to delete it from the final declaration at the summit.
Other questions were also raised in an already adopted sub- paragraph on the recognition and support of indigenous people.
"Who are the indigenous people of Indonesia?" asked one participant.
Mely G. Tan, a leading sociologist, who is also a member of the delegation going to Copenhagen, said there is in fact no such thing as "indigenous people" in Indonesia.
"What we have is people in remote and isolated communities," she said.
Mely, who participated in the three preparatory committee meetings for the Summit, explained that despite this situation, Indonesia had to take into account other nations who did have indigenous people.
"We have to be sensitive to the needs of the other 170 or so countries," she said.
She further underlined the need for a "concerted global effort" if human conditions are to be improved. (mds)