PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO SEES ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION AS KEY FOR POVERTY ERADICATION by Fardah

   Jakarta, June 1 , 2013 (Antara) - After working for nine months and holding five meetings in four continents, the  The UN High-Level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda finally completed the task to prepare a report containing recommendations to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

        Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had the honor to submit the report to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York, the United States, on May 30, 2013.

         He later briefed the UN General Assembly on the Panel's recommendations on behalf of the other two co-chairs, namely President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and British Prime Minister David Cemeron, as well as the Panel's 27 members.

         The Panel's report entitled "A New Global Partner-ship: Eradicate
Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development"   sets out a universal agenda to eradicate extreme poverty from the face of the earth by 2030 and deliver on the promise of sustainable development.

        Basically the report outlines 12 illustrative goals, namely: first, ending poverty; second, empowering girls and women, and achieving gender equality; third, providing quality education and lifelong learning; fourth ensuring healthy lives; fifth,  ensuring food security and good nutrition; sixth, achieving universal access to water and sanitation; seventh, securing sustainable energy; eight, creating jobs, sustainable livelihoods, and equitable growth; ninth, managing natural resource assets sustainably;  tenth, ensuring good governance and effective institutions; eleventh, ensuring stable and peaceful societies; and twelfth, creating a global enabling environment and catalyzing long-term finance.

        The international community has done a lot in lifting many people out of poverty, but one billion people still live on 1.25 dollars a day or less, according to the Indonesian head of state.

        Many people, particularly women, are also still lacking access to
nutritious food, quality healthcare and education, as well as basic infrastructure such as fresh water and sanitation, he added.

          Therefore, poverty in all of its manifestations must be fully addressed to cut the vicious circle of poverty, Yudhoyono added.

        The Panel is convinced that their vision and responsibility is to end extreme poverty in all its forms and it should be done in the context of sustainable development and sustainable growth with equity.

         Yudhoyono told the media that an economic transformation is a key for the poverty eradication and the improvement of people's welfare. He emphasized that it is crucial to transform the economy  through sustainable development.

          "So, we believe in a principle that the global development in the future, including development in every country, must consider three inseparable aspects namely the economic, social and environmental aspects," he said.  
    He also believed it is crucial to renew global partnership to help alleviate poverty. "A genuine global partnership requires all stakeholders - be it government, private sector, civil society, scholar and international organizations - to have a sense of common purpose and to act in the common interest," he said.

         The High-Level Panel, since they were appointed in July 2012 by Ban Ki-moon, had held five consecutive meetings, namely in New York in September 2012; in London in November 2012; in Monrovia in February 2013; in Bali in March 2013; and lastly, in New York on May 29, 2013 to formally adopt the report.

         In developing its recommendations, the Panel has interacted with more than 5,000 civil society groups from 121 countries and received as well as reviewed more than 850 written submissions of comments and inputs.

          "We have also carried out  extensive open and  inclusive consultations, involving not only the UN system but also extensive stakeholders. From civil society groups to parliamentarians, the private sector, academia, research institutions, women, and youths from all regions," Yudhoyono told the UN General Assembly.

        The Panel has also collected inputs from farmers, workers of
informal sector, migrants, people with disabilities, small business
owners, women entrepreneurs, young people and children.

        According to the Indonesian president, thanks to extensive consultations and outreach, the Panel report is not merely a product of its 27 members, but it is also a reflection of the interests of a wide range of stakeholders - who wish to unshackle the poor from the vicious circle of poverty.

        "Besides capturing inputs from as many sources as possible, the most remarkable fact of this report is that we, the panelists and co-Chairs alike, were able to rise above national interest and address the Global Partnership and Sustainable Development issues with a true universal perspective", President Yudhoyono stated.

        The other two co-chairs of the Panel, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and British Prime Minister David Cameron were not present in the New York meeting, but they sent their messages.

         Sirleaf said the report sets out a new vision for a world equipped to tackle the hurdles to human development and to capitalise on new opportunities.

        Meanwhile Cameron described the report as a clear roadmap for eradicating extreme poverty by 2030.  "We need a new global partnership, to finish the job on the current Millennium Development Goals, tackle the underlying causes of poverty, and champion sustainable development," he stated.

         Upon receiving the report from Yudhoyono, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the world has an historic opportunity to eradicate extreme poverty and achieve sustainability and equality for all through the new post-2015 development agenda.

         "We are at the beginning of an historic journey," Ban stated.

         The Panel in the report among other thins said a new development agenda should carry forward the spirit of the Millennium Declaration and the best of the MDGs, with a practical focus on things like poverty, hunger, water, sanitation, education and healthcare.

       But to fulfill the vision of promoting sustainable development, the international community must go beyond the MDGs, it added.

        The year 2015 will be the deadline of the MDGs for achieving its eight goals which were agreed by UN member nations in September 2000.

         The eight goals are: Eradication of Extreme Poverty and Starvation; Achieving Universal Primary Education; Promotion of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women; Reducing Child Mortality; Improvement of Maternal Health; Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Infectious Diseases; Ensuring Sustainable Environment; and Developing a Global Partnership for Development. 
  The Indonesian government has claimed that the nation has achieved several goals and even could exceed some targets by 2015.

        Before returning to Jakarta, President Yudhoyono told the media in New York that he is committed to achieving the eight goals, although the government must work extra hard for three goals, namely the reduction of infant and maternal mortality rates as well as access to clean water.

         "I will do my best to achieve the eight MDGs. I still have one and half year," he said. ***4***
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(T.F001/A/F. Assegaf/A/A. Abdussalam) 01-06-2013 19:50:18