THE HISTORY OF BKKBN

The Nascent Phase (1950’s – 1966)

The Indonesian family planning organization originally started as a Family Planning Association, established on December 23, 1957 and inaugurated in the building of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI). The organization later evolved into Indonesian Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), which pursued the ultimate goal of realizing healthy, thriving families by advocating for the practice of pregnancy spacing, infertility treatment, and marriage counselling.

In 1967, IPPF was acknowledged as a legal entity by the Ministry of Justice. Just one year earlier, in March 1966, the New Order leadership began in Indonesia. The new government put population as a central focus and. played a pivotal part in the implementation of family planning in the country, as it propelled family planning dissemination throughout the archipelago.

In January 1967, a contraception symposium was held in Bandung and the IPPF held its First National Congress in Jakarta on February 25, 1967.

The Government’s Involvement in the National Family Planning Program

The First National Congress of IPPF in Jakarta formulated the following declaration:

“IPPF hereby conveys its highest appreciation to the government for adopting family planning as its program. As a government program, IPPF therefore expects family planning to be immediately implemented by the government.

IPPF hereby expresses its commitment and ability to support the government’s execution of the family planning program including in the most remote areas of the country to ensure that this program benefits each and every individual, in every group of the society.”

In 1967, President Soeharto signed the World Declaration on Population – a statement that articulates the international acknowledgement on the importance of planned parenthood and pregnancy spacing as part of human rights.

On August 16, 1967, standing before the Assembly of the House of Representatives of Mutual Assistance (DPR GR), President Soeharto delivered a speech, in which he conveyed that, “Therefore, it is imperative that we take into consideration the efforts of controlling births underpinned by the concept of family planning that is morally justifiable based on religious and Pancasila values.” As a follow-up to the speech, the Minister of People’s Welfare formed an ad-hoc committee that was tasked to assess the feasibility of making family planning as a national program.

On September 7, 1986, President Soeharto issued Presidential Instruction No. 26 of 1968, made to the Minister of Peoples’ Welfare, and instructed the minister to, among others, develop, coordinate, and monitor any aspiration relating to family planning; and facilitate the establishment of a body or an institution, consisting of government and society representatives, that managed all family planning activities.

Pursuant to the instruction, on October 11, 1968 the minister issued a Decision Letter No. 35/KPTS/Kesra/X/1968 on the establishment of a preparatory team of a family planning institution. Following meetings with several ministers and civil society proponents of family planning, on October 17, 1968, a National Family Planning Institution (Lembaga Keluarga Berencana Nasional, LKBN) was founded by virtue of Decision Letter No. 36/KPTS/Kesra/X/1968 as a semi-governmental institution.

The First Five-Year Development Plan (“Pelita I”, 1969-1974)

By virtue of Presidential Decree No. 8 of 1970, LKBN became the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (Badan Koordinasi Keluarga Berencana, BKKBN) led by dr. Suwardjo Suryaningrat. Within two years, in 1972, a Presidential Decree No. 33 of 1972 was issued to refine BKKBN’s organization and operating model. The Board’s status also changed to a non-ministerial governmental institution that reported directly to the president.

However, at the time, the notion of family planning was met by heavy criticism. Taking into account the needs and existing situation in the program’s design to ensure its successful roll-out, family planning during the first Pelita period was developed using a clinical approach, using health as its point of entry.

The Second Five-Year Development Plan (“Pelita II”, 1974-1979)

Presidential Decree No. 33 of 1972 was amended by Presidential Decree No. 38 of 1978 and the position of BKKBN was reaffirmed. Its main tasks, as specified in the decree, were to design the overarching family planning policy, coordinate the supporting implementation of family planning and population programs in national and subnational levels, and coordinate program implementation in the field.

Family planning approach also shifted during this period from clinical to integrated, or beyond family planning, approach. In 1973-1975, Population Education was initiated as a pilot project.

The Third Five-Year Development Plan (“Pelita III”, 1979-1984)

The family planning approach employed during this period was participatory, where the role and ownership of the society were encouraged. To that end, the government established community-level organizations/institutions, involving community leaders, to promote and retain existing family planning participation as well as to increase participation rate. The government also introduced new operational strategies, namely the segmentation of family planning efforts into five workstreams called Panca Karya and four-prong approach to support implementation called Catur Bhava Utama. These strategies were expected to ultimately accelerate fertility reduction. Additionally, there was a new strategy that relied on Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and a mass campaign of contraceptive delivery was launched, titled “Integrated FP Safari”.

The Fourth Five-Year Development Plan (“Pelitay IV”, 1983-1988)

During the office term of Development Cabinet IV, Prof. Dr. Haryono Suyono was appointed as the Head of BKKBN. He succeeded dr. Suwardjono Suryaningrat who was appointed as the health minister.

This period also marked a new family planning program approach, namely active coordination approach that further aligned government and community level efforts. Family planning advocates were given an additional role as facilitators and regions grouped to help manage the program’s pace.

On January 28, 1978, President Soeharto launched Self-Seeking Family Planning (KB Mandiri) program during an appreciation ceremony for family planning participants in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. KB Mandiri was rolled out through the Blue Circle brand campaign that introduced contraceptive delivery facilities branded with the family planning’s iconic Blue Circle logo.

The Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (“Pelita V”, 1988-1993)

Still led by Prof. Dr. Haryono Suyono, the family planning program during this period focused on improving the quality of family planning manpower and service delivery. A new campaign was launched, namely the Gold Circle campaign. It expanded the option of contraceptive methods offered under Blue Circle to 16 methods.

The period also saw the enactment of Law No. 10 of 1992 on Population Development and Prosperous Family Development. In 1993, the national guiding principles and policies (Garis-Garis Besar Haluan Negara/GBHN) on prosperous family and population directed family planning program to contribute to nurturing prosperous families by promoting pregnancy spacing, increase of marital age, family resiliency education, and family welfare improvement.

The Sixth Five-Year Development Plan (“Pelita VI”, 1993-1998)

Intent to stimulate community engagement in the national family planning movement, a new family participation approach was this introduced in this period. Prof. Dr. Haryono Suyono was appointed as the Minister of Population/Head of BKKBN and served in the Development Cabinet IV from March 19, 1983 to March 19, 1998. His appointment marked a new page for BKKBN as a ministerial-level body.

On March 16, 1998, Prof. Dr. Haryono Suyono was appointed as the minister of people’s welfare and poverty eradication. Concurrently, he remained as the head of BKKBN. Political reform took place within two months of his latest appointment and the Development Cabinet VI changed into Development Reform Cabinet on May 21, 1998. Prof. Haryono Suyono was appointed as the coordinating minister of people’s welfare and poverty eradication and the highest leadership position of BKKBN was transferred to the new Population Minister Prof. Dr. Ida Bagus Oka.

BKKBN Post-Reform

According to the 1999 national guiding principles and policies (Garis-Garis Besar Haluan Negara/GBHN) and applicable laws at the time, the national family planning program is one of the programs that aimed to improve the quality of Indonesian people, the quality of manpower, health and social welfare by advocating pregnancy spacing, to increase marital age, strengthen families, and promote family welfare. The points articulated in GBHN were translated to the National Development Program (PROPENAS) that was adopted into Law No. 25 of 2000.

The change of the political system from a centralized to a decentralized model following reform created a critical time for the national family planning programs and institutions in the local level. Presidential Decree No. 103 of 2001, amended by Decree No. 09 of 2004 on the Position, Tasks, Function, Authority, Organizational Structure, and Work Procedure of Non-Ministerial Governmental Institutions devolved a significant portion of family planning activities to the local government in regencies and cities. It was also stipulated that the transfer of authority was to take place no later than December 2003. The devolvement was in line with the spirit of Law No. 22 of 1999 on Regional Government, amended by Law No. 32 of 2004. Therefore, 2004 marked the first year that the national family planning program was executed in an era of political decentralization.

The institutional nomenclature and vision, and mission of BKKBN were further changed by virtue of Law No. 52 of 2009 on Population and Family Development, enacted on October 29, 2009. The law changed “BKKBN” to the National Population and Family Planning Board[1]. Its vision for 2015 was to realize “Equitable Growth of Population” and its mission was to “realize national development informed by population quality awareness and to realize small, happy, prosperous families.”

To that end, BKKBN was tasked to exercise population control and family planning program as mandated by Article 56 of the law. The government also established regional population and family planning offices (Badan Kependudukan dan Keluarga Berencana Daerah, BKKBD) to operate in province and regency/city levels with functional relationship with BKBBN in accordance with Article 54, paragraphs 1 and 2.

The new role and function of BKKBN have been reaffirmed by several regulations: Presidential Regulation No. 3 of 2013 on the Seventh Amendment to Presidential Decree No. 103 of 2001 concerning the Position, Tasks, Function, Authority, Organizational Structure, and Work Procedure of Non-Ministerial Governmental Institutions; BKKBN Head Regulation No. 82/PER/B5/2011 concerning the Organizational Structure and Work Procedure of BKKBN and BKKBD; and BKKBN Head Regulation No. 92/PER/B5/2011 on the Organizational Structure and Work Procedure of Population and Family Planning Training Center. BKKBN also adjusted priority activities and performance indicators in the BKKBN strategic plan document 2010-2014 to reflect all regulatory updates.

Changes in BKKBN Leadership Post-Reform

During the term of office of the United Indonesia Ministerial Cabinet, BKKBN Head was served by the Minister of Women Empowerment Khofifah Indar Parawansa. Minister Khofifah was succeeded by Prof. Dr. Yaumil C. Agoes Achir in 2001, who died in 2003 after battling cancer. Following Prof. Achir’s passing, the leadership position was vacant for some months.

On November 10, 2003, Head of Research and Development Department of the Health Ministry dr. Sumarjati Arjoso, SKM was inaugurated as BKKBN Head by Health Minister Ahmad Sujudi. dr. Arjoso led BKKBN until his retirement in 2006.

Dr. Sugiri Syarief, M.PA. succeeded dr. Arjoso. Dr. Syarief was inaugurated as the new BKKBN Head on November 24, 2006. He was inaugurated for the second time on September 27, 2011 following the enactment of Law 52/2009.

On June 13, 2013, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed Prof. Fasli Jalal, former vice minister of education and culture, as BKKBN head.

In the term of office of President Joko Widodo, dr Surya Chandra Surapaty, MPH., Ph.D was appointed as BKKBN Head on May 26, 2015. dr. Sigit Priohutomo, MPH succeeded him and was appointed as the acting BKKBN head by the Deputy for the Coordination of Health Improvement in the Ministry of Human and Culture Development. dr. Priohutomo led BKKBN until he retired on January 1, 2019.

On July 1, 2019, dr. Hasto Wardoyo, Sp.OG(K), formerly the regent elect of Kulonprogo in Yogyakarta Province, was appointed by President Joko Widodo as the new BKKBN head.

In Indonesian, BKKBN according to Law 52/2009 is “Badan Kependudukan [Population] dan Keluarga Berencana”. BKKBN according to Presidential Decree No. 8 of 1970 is “Badan Koordinasi [Coordinating] Keluarga Berencana]. See section “Pelita I”, 1969-1974.

BKKBN’S ROLE AND FUNCTION

The National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) has a primary role of exercising governance over population control and family planning programs.

In details, BKKBN is tasked with the following responsibilities:

1. Formulating national level policies and guidelines, and align policies relevant to population control and family planning,
2. Defining norms, standards, procedures, and criteria of population control and family planning,
3. Advocating and coordinating population control and family planning activities,
4. Organizing information, education, and communications on population control and family planning,
5. Setting out national population projections,
6. Designing family development, population, and family planning program,
7. Managing family planning extension officers/field workers,
8. Managing, procuring, and distributing contraceptive methods to meet the needs of eligible couples nationally,
9. Managing and controlling family information system,
10. Empowering and enhancing the participation of community-based organizations in the national level in supervising family planning service delivery and in advocating family planning participation as well as reproductive health,
11. Formulating family development program design, focusing on family resiliency and welfare,
12. Standardizing family planning service delivery and certifying family planning extension officers/field workers,
13. Monitoring and evaluating programs of population control and family planning, and
14. Providing mentoring and facilitation with respect to population and family planning programs.

Additionally, BKKBN is also responsible to:

1. Organize training, research, and development activities in population and family planning,
2. Provide mentoring and to coordinate general affairs work in BKKBN,
3. Manage state assets/properties under BKKBN’s responsibility,
4. Monitor task implementation in BKKBN, and
5. Report and provide recommendations for population and family planning issues.