KEYNOTE
ADDRESS BY
H.E. DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA.
AT THE OPENING OF THE REGIONAL MINISTERIAL
MEETING OF THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS:
THE WAY FORWARD 2015
JAKARTA CONVENTION CENTER JAKARTA, AUGUST
3, 2005
Bismillah
Hirahmanirrahim
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants, Ladles and Gentlemen,
I
am pleased, to welcome all of you to Jakarta.
Indonesia
is honored to host the "Regional Ministerial
Meeting on MDGs in Asia and the Pacific: The
Way Forward 2015". We have high hopes
that the policy recommendations that result
from your deliberations here, will be of immense
consequence for our citizens, and for the
region.
I
remember a few years ago, when people talked
about the ideal world, they would speak about
"world peace", or a "just world".
The problem was: these terms were just too
vague and too abstract, and as such they sometimes
lost their meaning.
Well,
not anymore. Today, as we gather here to call
for a "peaceful, just, and prosperous
world", we come ready with a real plan,
an actual blueprint, a concrete target. We
call it: the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
The
MDGs is not an abstract rhetoric, but a set
of practical objectives with simple yet achievable
targets. It does not boast of bombastic designs,
but it does promise to make life better, and
more dignified for the average citizens.
The
MDGs are not imposed by anyone Government,
but the result of a collective meeting of
the minds between Governments from all corners
of the world.
The
MDGs do not cater to the interest of particular
Governments or groups, it addresses everyone's
concerns in the global community.
The
MDGs is not only aimed at improving the life
of our generation but also of our future generations.
Every
single one of us therefore is a stakeholder
in the Millennium Development Goals. It does
not matter if your GDP is $ 10 billion, 100
billion or 10 trillion dollars, as a global
citizen, you have an interest to live in a
world that successfully meets the MDG targets.
And as members of the human family, we all
have a common enemy that go by the name of
“poverty”.
As
we, by luck, become the generation that crosses
not only two centuries but two millenniums,
we also find ourselves to be the generation
with the best fighting chance and with the
best tools of empowerment to rid our world
of poverty. This is the real giant leap that
we intend to make.
But
we are racing against time.
40.1
million people today are suffering from the
spread of the HIV/AIDS. 30 million people
worldwide are addicted to drugs and narcotics.
Millions more are thirsty for safe and clean
drinking water. Millions of children around
us do not have education, and are out of schools.
The majority of global population are still
living below or just above the poverty line.
And environmental degradation continue to
haunt our quality of life.
And
in our region, there are some 700 million
people, or nearly two thirds of the world's
poorest people, who live on less than US$
1 dollar per day. We may find it ironic that
while our region is gaining a reputation for
economic dynamism, at the same time, it is
still home to the majority of the world's
poor.
Our
success or failure in alleviating poverty
will determine, whether our global home will
be stable or unstable. After all, poverty
and security are inter-linked in many ways.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his report
In Larger Freedom: towards development, security
and human rights fol all, emphasized that
in the 21st century the threats to peace and
security come not just from war and conflict
but also from poverty, deadly infectious diseases
and environmental degradation, which can have
equally destructive consequences.
The
UN Secretary-General also stressed that, the
international community will not enjoy development
without security will not enjoy security without
development and will enjoy neither without
the respect for human rights.
This
regional gathering is therefore critical,
because if we succeed in pooling our resources,
we can collectively augment and accelerate
our capacity to race against time to meet
the targets of the MDGs.
Our
individual resources may be finite, but our
common will is limitless.
Our
regional gathering is meant to complement
the efforts of the global community to meet
the Millennium Development Goals.
I
believe that no matter what country you live
in, and whatever political system you adopt,
the goals of the MDGs is every bit as relevant
to your national goals, and to the betterment
of the lives of our citizens.
That
means that by 2015, Insya Allah, we will eradicate
extreme poverty and hunger by halving the
proportion of people living on less than a
dollar a day, and halving the proportion of
people who suffer from hunger.
It means that by 2015, we will ensure that
all boys and girls receive and complete a
full course of primary schooling.
By
2015, we must also be able to promote gender
equality and empower women, by eliminating
gender disparity in primary and secondary
education.
By
2015, we shall reduce child mortality rate
by two-third, especially among children under
five. We must be also able to reduce by three
quarters the maternal mortality ratio, and
reverse the deadly spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria
and other diseases.
We
will ensure that the principle of sustainable
development become an integral part of our
policies and programs and we will reverse
the loss of our environmental resources. We
will provide better and sustainable access
to safe drinking water. We will also improve
the living conditions of at least 100 million
slum dwellers by 2020.
And
by 2015, we will strengthen our global partnership
for development by developing an open trading
and financial systems, and by promoting closer
cooperation and partnership especially between
the developed, developing, and least developed
countries.
These,
ladies and gentlemen, are the specific targets
of the MDGs. And these are the reasons why
we are here today.
We
gather here today to strengthen the Asia Pacific
Partnership that will bind us as we endeavor
to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
What
does that Asia Pacific Partnership for MDGs
entail?
Well,
that partnership calls on us to muster the
required political will, establish closer
cooperation, and allocate the necessary resources
to achieve the MDGs.
That
Asia Pacific Partnership should take the lead,
in addressing strategic issues towards MDGs,
such as fulfilling 0.7% ODA, foreign debt,
micro-financing, making trade work better
for development, transfer of technology, foreign
direct investment. And it is an absolute must,
that this cooperation should work for the
poor.
That
Asia Pacific Partnership should enhance the
capacity of Individual countries, to achieve
national MDGs.
And
most importantly, this Asia Pacific Partnership
must be a true partnership, engaging Governments
and civil societies, engaging big, medium
and small sized business, engaging developed
and developing economies. Only then can we
make up for the shortcomings of our region,
and harness our common potentials to turn
the abstract concept of a "peaceful,
Just and prosperous world", into a living
reality for us and for our children.
To conclude, in my view, the key to success
in the achievement of MDGs in strong commitment
shared by all leaders and citizens around
the world, implemented in concrete action
in each country, harnessed with effective
global partnership and cooperation.
I
wish you all a fruitful and productive deliberations.
By saying
Bismillah
Hirrahmanirrahim, I declare this conference
open.
Thank
you.
Jakarta, Indonesia, 2 August
