Putting Children First
UNICEF is supporting Indonesia in localising the Sustainable Development Goals for children in parallel with President Jokowi’s Nawacita. Edith Emeralda writes
Learn more about children in Indonesia: www.unicef.or.id three core dimensions in sustainable development—social, economic and environmental. Achievements in one will influence achievements in other goals: no poverty, zero hunger, good health, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption, climate action, life below water, life on land, and peace and justice and partnerships for the goals.
Thirteen out of 17 goals and 44 out of 169 targets are directly relevant to Indonesia’s 85 million children. Building on Nawacita and the SDGS, UNICEF Indonesia developed a nine-point roadmap to be achieved by 2030. It aims to turn the government’s commitments into a better future for all Indonesian children. The UNICEF infographic which shows the links between Nawacita and the SDGS conveys a powerful message: all sustainable development needs to begin with children.
First on the roadmap is to build and prosper from the periphery inwards, as planned by the president, while counting all children in. Indonesia is one of the countries
in the region with fast-growing inequality between rich and poor. Policies need to ensure that no child is excluded from the country’s progress. By2030, all births need to be registered with the civil authorities.
The second goal is to let children in Indonesia, a middle-income country, not live in poverty. There are 14 million children who live below the national poverty line of Rp 300,000 each month. The government is encouraged to double the extreme poverty limit and broaden eradication efforts. A cash grant system to support primary caregivers with no strings attached will benefit the next generations. Another issue on the agenda is nutrition. One in three children under five years of age is stunted, reduced in growth rate, which hampers physical and cognitive development. The poorest households are almost twice as likely to be struck as those in the wealthiest families, plus three times more likely to die before their 5th birthday Lifelong consequences include poor school performance and reduced productivity. UNICEF calls for strategic investment in people’s first 1,000 days of life to reduce risks and to stop child marriage: early pregnancies increase complication risks and low birth weight for babies. Violent acts against millions of children experiencing physical attacks by peers and physical punishment by teachers also need to be addressed. Migrants and refugees, children in institutions and those from religious minorities are equally vulnerable. Indonesia’s gotong royong principle—a community working together to achieve a result—can be used to solve and monitor problems in child rearing.
Other priorities are the two transitional development phases: early childhood and adolescence. Quality education is costeffective to break the poverty cycle, improve adult health and productivity, empower women, help reduce violence and promote environmental sensitivity. Publicly funded early-childhood development and one year of preschool, plus educating adolescents and including them in developing policies and services by 2030, will improve Indonesia.
As a disaster-prone country, climate change has magnified disasters in which children, especially the disadvantaged, suffer most. Policies and investments should help recover and strengthen support systems; resilience is the key to resilience-building policies. The aim is to infuse critical thinking, problemsolving skills, empathy and confidence into educational curriculums and governmental training and then create adaptable service delivery chains.
To reach the goals planned for 2030, leveraging entire data ecosystems to support service delivery and monitor progress is necessary. Today’s technology can improve transparency, accessibility and inclusivity. Extract existing data to inform policies and service delivery to address bottlenecks in a decentralised system, and then combine these data and analytical tools to increase programmes’ efficiency.
Social accountability through youth engagement is equally important, as Indonesia’s population is one of the youngest in the world. Young people should be able to hold decision-makers accountable by a capacity to receive and act on feedback. Digital infrastructure is one area to be further developed and strengthened.
To drive these programmes, Indonesia’s current 1.2 per cent public health expenditure of GDP needs an increase. Businesses and investors can contribute by using UNICEF Children’s Rights and Business Principles, Save the Children and the UN Global Compact to align business practices with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Existing Islamic finance, sukuk bond and zakat alms, is a big asset for Indonesian children. With this ambitious roadmap for children, UNICEF believes Indonesia could position itself as the global powerhouse to China’s success in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS).
Indonesia Tatler proudly supports UNICEF and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.