Indonesia pledges to provide more mechanisms to protect women andchildren’s rights, announced Indonesian Minister of Women Empowermentand Child Protection ( PPPA ) Yohana Susana Yembise on March 12 at an UNmeeting in New York.

The 59th session ofthe Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) from March 9 -22 is todiscuss the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform forAction in the past decade.

Minister Yembiseemphasised that gender equality has become one of keys to comprehensiveand sustainable development in Indonesia, as highlighted in the mid-termnational development plan from 2015-2019.

Shesaid Indonesia achieved a number of positive results in womenempowerment, as seen in the increase of life quality of women and girls,gender balance among schoolchildren, life expectancy among women andwomen’s participation in the community and decision-making processes.

However, the minister acknowledged that Indonesiais still facing challenges, including a high maternal mortality rate at359 per 100,000 births, the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS among women, theincreasing number of women and children victims of violence, and a lowrate of females in the country’s legislative, executive and judicialsectors.

Indonesia considers the creation ofadditional mechanisms to achieve gender equality, key to maintainingits achievements and overcoming challenges.

Theminister also called on the international and community organisations toacknowledge the importance of support and cooperation from all relevantparties to observe the Beijing Declaration.

He also emphasised that gender issue needs to be integrated into post-2015 development agendas.-VNA