The National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) attended the 25th Annual Board Meeting of Partners in Population and Development (PPD) held on Friday, October 16, 2020. BKKBN welcomed the invitation of Dr. Li Bin, Secretary General and Vice Chairwoman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who was also the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of PPD. BKKBN also followed the elective Board meeting to select nine members of PPD Executive Committee for 2021-2023 period.
Present at the meeting were PPD Board Members, comprising ministers, head of agencies, directors-general, and Partner Country Coordinators (PCCs) that represented 27 member countries of PPD as well as PPD Executive Director and Secretariat. Prof. Rizal Damanik, PhD, Deputy for Training, Research, and Development attended as Indonesia’s PCC and to represent the Head of BKKBN.
While the previous annual meetings were hosted by a member country of PPD, the 2020 meeting had to be done virtually for the first time to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in member countries.
PPD is an inter-governmental organization that was established specifically to promote and expand the South-South Cooperation in reproductive health, family planning, population, and family development among member countries. PPD was launched during the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 with Indonesia was one of the co-initiators. Therefore, BKKBN’s attendance in this year’s annual meeting signified the commitment that Indonesia has to continually take an active role in the South-South Cooperation.
The 25th Annual Meeting adopted and ratified a number of items, including report of the 24th Annual Board Meeting in Tunisia in 2019, PPD Financial Report, Performance Report 2020, Work Plan of 2021 that aims to accelerate the attainment of ICPD PoA and SDGs, and the agenda to organize the 17th International Inter-Ministerial Conference at the end of 2020.
Furthermore, during the elective Board meeting, Indonesia through BKKBN was elected and trusted to sit in the Executive Committee as Board Treasurer. Indonesia will be serving alongside eight other countries, namely South Africa (Chair), China (Vice Chair), Tunisia (Board Secretary), and committee members India, Benin, Kenya, and Mexico.
For Indonesia, its election was an achievement that reflected the trust of 27 member countries, especially to BKKBN, in the context of South-South Cooperation. In his remarks, speaking as member of the Executive Committee and Board Treasurer 2021-2023, Prof. Rrizal Damanik, Ph.D of BKKBN extended his thanks and highest appreciation to PPD members for the trust. Prof. Damanik acknowledged the great responsibility borne by this new role and assured that Indonesia will work hard to advance the organization. He concluded by affirming Indonesia’s commitment to the Nairobi Summit, ICPD PoA, and the SDGs.
